Airplane Blues
by spike8705
Summary: Bella has a 11 hour flight to germany ahead of her and runs into so trouble in the airport. what will she do. and who is the gorgeous mystery man with smoldering green eyes.AH/AU
1. Chapter 1

I got this idea from reading Tube by Annilaia and sorta from the movie Red Eye I guess although not really, anyways I am gonna be possibly moving to Germany so I figured it would be fun

**I got this idea from reading **_**Tube**_** by **_**Annilaia**_** and sorta from the movie **_**Red Eye**_** I guess although not really, anyways I am gonna be possibly moving to Germany so I figured it would be fun. Disclaimer on profile bio.**

BPOV

"Mom, its only for a year or two. Its not like I am never coming back. And you and dad already have tickets to visit in like 4 months." My mom, Renee, was always a bit sensitive and she passed that trait on to me, so I knew it was going to be a tearful goodbye. We had just checked in at the airport and she was having a hard time letting me go. Literally.

"I know Bella," she told me tearfully as she proceeded to suffocate me in a hug. "It just seems like forever."

"Mom, I am going to miss my flight." I told her and she reluctantly let me go.

"Tell, Rose and Emmett I love them and we will see them soon."

"Will, do mom. I'll call you when my flight lands."

"I love you honey."

"I love you too mom." I gave her one more quick hug, and grabbing my bags, headed towards the gate. I was on my way to Germany to live with my brother and his wife.

Rosalie Hale now Rosalie Swan, one of my best friends since grade school, had married my brother, Emmett 2 years ago after which they promptly moved to Germany because Rose had gotten a job offer with an international modeling agency, which isn't surprising given her 5 ft. 10 in. 120 lbs. frame and long flowing blonder hair. She was by far one of the most beautiful girls I have ever met. How and why she ever got involved with my brother was beyond me, but they were in love. When they got over there, Emmett managed to get a job at one of the local TV stations, doing grip work, handling sets and that kind of stuff. It wasn't exactly a glamorous job but he was good at it seeing as he was the size of a grizzly bear, and it definitely paid well.

Anyways, Rose and Em just had their first baby, a little girl named Emma, and needed someone to help around the house and help watch Emma if they both had to be gone at the same time. Since they didn't really want to hire someone they didn't know, and could easily afford to fly someone over who they did, they offered to pay my way over and give me a monthly "paycheck" if I would agree to be a sort of live in nanny. Naturally I agreed.

So here I was, Bella Swan, walking down hallway towards my gate. Seeing as it was only 5 o'clock in the morning, I had been up since 2 and had a 11 hour flight ahead of me, I decided to stop off and get some coffee. Thank goodness it was a Starbucks and not some low rate coffee stand or I might have gone insane.

I had my carry on roller bag and backpack with me because I didn't have anyone to watch it and was not about to leave it sitting out by itself while I was standing in line. I was looking up at the menu trying to decide what I wanted, and accidentally bumped the man in front of me with my roller bag.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" He turned around and screamed in my face.

"I am sorry sir I didn…" he cut me off as if he didn't hear me.

"Can't you see that I am standing here?! People these days!"

"Sir, I am sorry it wa…"

"Look what you did to my shoes! There is a scuff mark on the heel! THESE WERE 800 DOLLAR SHOES!" He was so angry and flailing his arms around so much I thought he was going to hit me. "Look what you did! You stupid clumsy BIT..."

"Sir," interrupted a smooth, velvet voice. "I am sure the lady didn't mean to run into you, and even if she did, there is no need for such language. Now I believe you owe this lady an apology."

"I will not apologize to this…lady. And I use that term loosely. And I WILL NOT take direction from the likes of you." He swept his arm in an offensive and dismissive manner, but the guy behind me grabbed his wrist.

"I don't expect you to take direction from me, I do however expect you to apologize to this lady for the manner in which you have treated her, and then I would appreciate it if you leave the line. If you can't handle that, at least shut up so the rest of us don't have to listen to your babble." I was still frozen in place from everything that had just happened, but something must have frightened the man in front of me because his eyes got wide, and then he turned to me swiftly and uttered an almost unintelligible "sorry" and turned back to the front of the line.

"Are you ok Miss." I heard that smooth velvet voice again and it took me a second to register that someone was addressing me and respond. I turned around to assure whoever had come to my rescue that I was indeed fine but the words died on my lips as my eyes locked with the most gorgeous green eyes I had ever seen in my life.

**A/N - Let me know what you think. Good. Bad. Ugly. Should I continue? Stop while I am ahead? Delete everything and start all over with a story about cute little kittens anything.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Miss, are you ok

BPOV

"Miss, are you ok?" he repeated and the sound of his voice brought me back to the present with a jolt and my gaze traveled to his face to get away from that unrelenting gaze. He had shaggy bronze hair and high cheekbones. I felt my face heat as I realized I had been caught staring and dropped my eyes.

"Ye...yes I'm fine." I stuttered slightly. "Thank you for your help." I started to turn around but he stopped me with hand to my arm.

""Are you sure you are ok? You look a little shaken." I was not about to tell him the real reason I was shaken up.

"I am fine. Really. Thanks again." I turned back to the counter to order and pay for my drink and then walked back to my gate, a warm cup of coffee in my hands. I pulled out the book I had in my backpack and had only been reading for a few minutes when I heard a voice come over the loud speaker.

"Attention passengers, flight 886 service to Berlin, Germany has been delayed." Well that officially sucked.

"About how long is the delay?" I asked the lady at the counter.

"We aren't sure at the moment but at least an hour or so. Maybe more. We will announce when we have more information." Well I guess I had an hour to kill and suddenly my book wasn't all that interesting so I decided to wander around a bit. In one of the gift shops I went into I found the cutest snow globe and just had to buy it for Rose. It was just a small simple one with a miniature Space Needle inside, but it was perfect. Anytime I talked to her, Rose always told me anytime I talked to her that the one thing she missed the most was being able to see the Space Needle and I knew she would love it. I paid for it and waited as the cashier wrapped it.

I was grinning to myself as I walked out of the shop, and stopped for a moment to bend and put it in my roller bag when someone bumped into me. They didn't hit me hard, but seeing as I am a bit of a klutz I landed hard on my butt.

"Ow."

"Are you alright? I am so sorry!" I saw someone kneel down in front of me and looked up into that beautiful face from the coffee line. He recognized me as well and smiled.

"We'll I seem to be asking you that a lot lately." He stood and offered me a hand up. I rubbed the sore spot on my backside and knew I would have a bruise.

"Thanks." I told him as I straightened myself out a bit.

"I am terribly sorry."

"It's ok. Really. It's not the worst that has happened." He looked at me questioningly.

"Let's just say I am not the most graceful person in the world." He nodded in understanding, a smile still on his face.

"I see." He said and offered me his hand. "Edward Cullen."

"Bella Swan." I said and shook his hand.

"Well, Miss Bella Swan, since I so rudely knocked you on the ground, allow me to buy you a drink."

"Oh, no. you don't have to do that." I tried to say but he wouldn't have it.

"It's my pleasure. Really."

"Ok." I relented and we grabbed our luggage and snagged a table at the bar across the way. We each ordered a drink and settled in the booth.

"So where are you headed to Bella?"

"Germany."

"No kidding. That's where I am headed."

"Really? What are you going to do there?"

"My job."

"Oh. What do you do?"

"I am a photographer."

"Interesting. How did you get into that?" he seemed to think about that for a moment.

"I really don't know. As far back as I can remember I always wanted to do photography. My parents got me my own camera to play with when I was little so I wouldn't waste their film. How about you? What's waiting for you?"

"My brother and sister-in-law just had a baby and invited me to live with them as a sort of live-in nanny so they didn't have to worry about hiring someone they didn't know."

"Sounds fun. How old is their baby?"

"She is 6 months old. Her name is Emma. This will actually be the first time I meet her. They moved there about 2 years ago and we have never been able to work it out to visit."

"Well, it sounds like you will have plenty of time to make up for that. How long will you be staying with them?"

"I don't really know. It sort of depends on their jobs and whether or not they decide to have another baby. It's pretty flexible. I can leave whenever I want and they will pay for my ticket. If I want to stay and go to school, they will pay for my schooling. Its pretty much a win-win situation for me."

"I'll say. Not many people get that kind of opportunity."

"I'll admit I am a little nervous but definitely exited." He started to say something but the overhead com came on.

"Attention passengers, flight 886 service to Berlin, Germany is now boarding."

"Well, I guess that's us." I said as people started heading down the corridor.

"Looks like it. Let me get this."

"You don't have to do that." I tried to tell him but he put his hand up.

"It's my pleasure really. It's the least I can do." He paid the waitress and we started to head towards the gate when his phone went off. He looked at the screen and groaned.

"I gotta take this."

"I understand. It was nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. Have a good flight, Bella." I heard him answer his phone as I headed towards the gate.


	3. Chapter 3

The morning from EPOV

The morning from EPOV

God airports suck. I had a flight to catch and I couldn't get through the crowd of people to get to the security gates. You would think it being 5 in the morning and all, that there wouldn't be a lot of people here, but the place was packed. Looking at my watch I knew I still had time but all these people were making me nervous. Finally I made it through the security and headed towards my gate. I still had a good hour to kill, so I decided to grab some coffee at the little stand at the corner of the food court.

I was going over the different things I would have to take care of once I landed, but was pulled out of my thought process when I noticed a commotion just ahead of me in line. I tuned in just in time to hear a man in line yell.

"Can't you see that I am standing here?! People these days!" he screamed at the girl standing in front of me. She tried to speak but he cut her off.

"Sir, I am sorry it wa…"

"Look what you did to my shoes! There is a scuff mark on the heel! THESE WERE 800 DOLLAR SHOES!" He was so angry and flailing his arms around so much I thought he was going to hit me. "Look what you did! You stupid clumsy BIT..." I had heard enough.

"Sir, I am sure the lady didn't mean to run into you, and even if she did, there is no need for such language. Now I believe you owe this lady an apology."

"I will not apologize to this…lady. And I use that term loosely. And I WILL NOT take direction from the likes of you." He swept his arm in our direction, and I grabbed his wrist firmly. I was not going to let this slide.

"I don't expect you to take direction from me, I do however expect you to apologize to this lady for the manner in which you have treated her, and then I would appreciate it if you leave the line. If you can't handle that, at least shut up so the rest of us don't have to listen to your babble." I said this calmly, but he clearly got the message. I let his wrist go and he muttered a "sorry" to the girl and turned back around. I then switched my focus to the figure in front of me. All I could see was the back of her, but I could tell she was upset.

"Are you ok Miss." I asked. It took her a moment to turn around and when she did, my breath caught. Her hair was a deep chocolate brown and her eyes, just a shade lighter than her hair, look so frightened and vulnerable. She was beautiful. I pulled myself back to the moment.

"Miss are you ok?" I watched as she blushed.

"Ye…yes I'm fine. Thank you for your help."

"Are you sure you are ok? You look a little shaken."

"I am fine. Really. Thanks again." and with that she turned around. She still didn't look ok but I didn't want to press the issue, so after a moment I watched as she ordered and picked up her drink and walked away. My drink came a few minutes later and as I was walking towards my gate, the PA came on.

"Attention passengers, flight 886 service to Berlin, Germany has been delayed." Well great. Now I got to spend that much longer in the airport. I turned my I-pod on and plugged in my earphones. Even though I usually prefer to classical music like Debussy, I listen to pretty much anything and today I was feeling my classic rock playlist, so I scrolled down clicked on it and listened as Hair of the Dog by Nazareth came through the earphones. I had been walking around the hallways for a bit reading some emails on my Blackberry when I looked up in time to walk straight into a girl bent over her roller bag, sending her sprawling on the floor.

"Ow."

"Are you alright? I am so sorry?" I asked, kneeling down in front of her. as she looked up, I recognized her as the girl that had been in the coffee line and I smiled.

"Well, I seem to be asking you that a lot lately." I stood and offered her a hand up. she winced a bit as she stood and rubbed her backside.

"Thanks."

"I am terribly sorry."

"It's ok. Really. It's not the worst that has happened." This caught my attention.

"Let's just say I am not the most graceful person in the world." I nodded, still smiling.

"I see." I said and held my hand out. "Edward Cullen."

"Bella Swan." She took my offered hand and shook it.

"Well, Miss Bella Swan, since I so rudely knocked you on the ground, allow me to buy you a drink." I was not about to let this beautiful woman out of my sight so easily. There was something about her that intrigued me and I had to learn more about her.

"Oh, no. you don't have to do that."

"It's my pleasure. Really." I assured her.

"Ok." We both grabbed our luggage and I led her over to a table at the bar across the hall. I waited for her to order her drink before I ordered mine and we settled back into the booth.

"So where are you headed to Bella?"

"Germany." Well that's interesting.

"No kidding. That's where I am headed."

"Really? What are you going to do there?"

"My job."

"Oh. What do you do?"

"I am a photographer."

"Interesting. How did you get into that?" I paused for a minute and thought back several years.

"I really don't know. As far back as I can remember I always wanted to do photography. My parents got me my own camera to play with when I was little so I wouldn't waste their film. How about you? What's waiting for you?"

"My brother and sister-in-law just had a baby and invited me to live with them as a sort of live-in nanny so they didn't have to worry about hiring someone they didn't know."

"Sounds fun. How old is their baby?"

"She is 6 months old. Her name is Emma. This will actually be the first time I meet her. They moved there about 2 years ago and we have never been able to work it out to visit."

"Well, it sounds like you will have plenty of time to make up for that. How long will you be staying with them?"

"I don't really know. It sort of depends on their jobs and whether or not they decide to have another baby. It's pretty flexible. I can leave whenever I want and they will pay for my ticket. If I want to stay and go to school, they will pay for my schooling. Its pretty much a win-win situation for me."

"I'll say. Not many people get that kind of opportunity."

"I'll admit I am a little nervous but definitely exited." I started to ask her what city she would be living in, but the PA system came on again.

"Attention passengers, flight 886 service to Berlin, Germany is now boarding."

"Well, I guess that's us." She commented and we both stood up.

"Looks like it. Let me get this." She started to object but I put my hand up.

"It's my pleasure really. It's the least I can do." I paid the waitress and we started out towards the gate when my phone rang. I looked at the screen and groaned. It was work.

"I gotta take this."

"I understand. It was nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. Have a good flight, Bella." I really didn't want to stop talking to her but I didn't have a choice. If I didn't take this call now, it would be 11 hours till I could talk to them again, and if that was the case, they wouldn't be very happy.

"Hello?"

"Edward, it's Ellen. Do you have a minute?" Ellen was my new boss at the Germany office I would be working at. I had talked to her a few times over video calls when we were finalizing my transfer from Seattle to Germany and I liked her. From our few encounters, I could tell that she didn't take peoples crap, but she was pretty laid back and friendly.

"Sure. What's up?"

"Well, we have a bit of an emergency. One of our photographers was in an accident and is gonna be in the hospital for a few days."

"Are they ok? How bad was it?"

"She has a couple broken bones and they want to keep her for a few days for x-rays blood work, the thing is she had an entire shoot tomorrow. Do you think instead of starting next week, you could come in tomorrow and cover it?"

"Of course. What time will you need me there?"

"She was scheduled to start shooting at 10. I guess it depends on how much time you need to set up." I went trough all the things I would have to do to get ready in my mind.

"I'll need time to set up my equipment, go over the sets and brief the clients and crew, so say 8?"

"Alright I'll meet you there tomorrow morning. Thanks again. You are a life saver."

"No problem, I'll see you tomorrow." I had been making my way slowly towards the gate when I heard them announcing the final boarding call for my flight so I grabbed my luggage and booked it. I made it to the gate and handed the attendant my boarding pass. She checked it and then handed it back.

"Have a good flight."

"Thank you." I replied and headed down the tunnel. The flight attendant at the door of the plane looked at my ticket.

"19B will be on your left hand side towards the back."

"Thanks." I headed towards the back of the plane, looking up at the storage compartments. I made it down the aisle, stopped at row 19 and looked down. Seat A by the window was taken, as was C. I looked at the brunette head bent over a book in C and thought to myself "O_h, you have got to be kidding me_."

**I know, real cliffhanger lol. Its not like yall don't already know what is gonna happen but you should review and comment anyways cause it will make me happy and I just know that yall live to make me happy :) …right?**


	4. Chapter 4

BPOV

BPOV

The woman at the gate checked my ticket and I headed down the tunnel towards the plane. My seat was towards the back of the plane and once I got my roller bag in the overhead compartment I settled in to my seat, pulling out the book I had been reading before in the airport. I had picked it up at the bookstore a couple days ago and just now got around to reading it. It wasn't my usual romance, but I had saw it on the shelf and thought it sounded intriguing. It was a different retelling of _Beauty and the Beast_ and it sounded good so I bought it **(a/n – called Beauty by Robin McKinley)**. So far it was pretty good. I was just turning the page to start chapter 3 when I realized someone was standing over me. I didn't want to be rude and keep them from their seat, but when I looked up to apologize I froze. Edward was standing in the aisle, looking down at me.

"Well hello. Again." he said casually.

"Hi." Was all I could think to say.

"I think that is my seat." He said, indicating the vacant seat next to me.

"You're kidding." I said amazed, as I glanced to look at the ticket he was holding out. "You're not kidding. Well, this is interesting."

"I'll say." It took me a second to realize he was still standing in the aisle.

"Oh, sorry." I said and jumped from seat to allow him to sit down. He just smiled. Once we were settled in, he looked turned and looked at me.

"So." He said.

"So." I replied. Without warning, we both started laughing.

"Well, at least I don't have to sit next to some sleaze who wants to try his latest pickup lines on me." I commented once our laughter died down. He grinned wickedly.

"And how do you know I am not some sleaze?" I smiled.

"Call it a hunch." Conversation stopped then for a few minutes as the flight attendants were giving their usual demonstration about life preservers and seat belts. The captain came on a minute later with the time and weather.

"We will be taking off shortly, so sit tight and have a nice flight." The plane started to rumble as we pulled away from the gate and prepared for take off down the runway. I looked over at Edward and started to ask him a question but I noticed he looked uncomfortable. You couldn't tell by just glancing at him, but he was gripping the armrest a little to tightly and his face looked slightly pale.

"So, what kind of pets did you have growing up?" I asked.

"What?" he looked at me like I had grown a second head.

"What kind of pets did you have?"

"Why?"

"Just curious. You look more like a dog person than a cat person." He closed his eyes shut as he explained.

"Uh, my first animal was a dog named Molly. She was a Retriever/Lab mix. She died when I was about 12. The next dog I had was a Bernese Mountain Dog named Murphy. He is still alive, but I had to give him back to my parents after I got the job offer in Germany."

"That kinda sucks. I always wanted a dog but my mom was allergic so we got a hairless cat instead. Those are some of the ugliest things in the world. They look like a long skinny rat. And they aren't very nice either. I have my fair share of scars that that thing gave me for no other reason than just to attack something. It was ridiculous. Everyone was happy when it died." I stopped talking at this point. The plane was finally in the air. It took Edward a second to open his eyes and when he looked at me I smiled. He smiled back.

"Thanks for distracting me."

"Anytime. Not one for flying I take it?" he nodded.

"I try to avoid it at all costs, but this time I didn't really have choice."

"No I would think not, unless you wanted to swim the Atlantic. That would be a bit difficult I'd imagine. And really cold." I shuddered and he laughed. We were silent for a moment, but he seemed to want to talk, and seeing how good looking he was, I wasn't going to complain one bit.

"So what book were you reading?"

"Huh?"

"The book you were reading."

"Oh. It's just a book I grabbed off the shelf last minute. It's actually pretty good."

"What's it about?" He asked and I blushed. Why, I'm not exactly sure, but for some reason I was embarrassed to admit why I had actually bought the book. He must have seen my reaction because when I looked up at him he was smiling that beautifully crooked smile.

"Well, look at that she's lit up like a house on fire." I laughed, feeling my blush deepen.

"Sorry," he apologized. I'm sure he _totally_ meant it.

"Oh, yes I can tell you are soo sorry." He just grinned.

"You never answered my question. What is your book about?" I sighed.

"It is a different retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story."

"I see," he paused. "And that made you blush why?" I laughed.

"I have no idea. Maybe I am just tired." As if the emphasis that point, I yawned hugely.

"Get some sleep. The worst is over." I chuckled at that.

"This coming from the guy that had a death grip on the armrest just a few minutes ago."

"Get some sleep Bella. We have the next 11 hours to talk." I nodded and closed my eyes, resting my head on the back of the seat.

EPOV

After a few minutes, I heard her breathing even out as she fell asleep. This was sure to be an interesting flight, 11 hours sitting next to one of the most beautiful girls I had ever met. I pulled out my laptop and turned it on. I figured I could at least try and sort through the emails I had downloaded before take off. There was one from my sister, Alice but I ignored it for later. Her emails usually consisted of what she bought at the latest sale at Macy's. Why she thought I was interested in the shoes she got on sale for 60 off was beyond me. There was an email from my mother, reminding me to call her as soon as I got settled in. I had just started another email, this one from my best friend, Jasper (also Alice's boyfriend) when I heard Bella start to stir.

"Emmett, please put the frog back in the pond…No! I don't want to eat it! It has warts...Eww! get it off me!" by this time I couldn't help but laugh, even as I tried to wake her up, which didn't do any good. She was dead to the world. So I just sat back and listened.

"Mom! Emmett's doing that scary face again…That was my pumpkin juice!" Wow she had one heck of an imagination. She muttered and talked in her sleep for the next 10 minutes before nodding off completely.

I grabbed a pair of earphones from one of the flight attendants and plugged into the movie they were showing, _Tristan and Isolde_. It sounded like a chick flick. I had never seen it before, and about 30 minutes in, I wished I had kept it that way, but I needed something to occupy my time while Bella was asleep. She was so fun to talk to. I felt like I could spend the next 50 years talking to her, and would never get tired of hearing her voice. Wow, I was definitely getting way ahead of myself here. I looked over at her in time to see her shiver slightly, so I flagged down a flight attendant.

"Can I help you?" she asked politely. She looked like she was probably in her mid 30's.

"Yes can I get a blanket please?" I asked. She glanced down at Bella and whispered.

"Oh, yes. Just a moment." She came back a minute later and handed it over to me.

"Thank you." I said as she smiled and headed towards the back of the plane. I unfolded the blanket and covered Bella's sleeping form. As I settled back into my seat to watch the movie, Bella moved slightly in her seat, but just enough that her head to fell on my shoulder. I was about to shift her head back but she snuggled in a little closer, so I let her get comfortable.

The movie was only about halfway through when my arm started to fall asleep. I tried to shift my shoulder a few different ways without waking Bella up, but I still couldn't feel it. I finally gave up and gently shifted her enough to pull my arm out from under her head and rested it along her shoulders. The armrest between us wasn't the most comfortable, but trying to raise it out of the way would definitely wake her up and I wasn't willing to do that. She needed her sleep. I turned back to the movie in time to watch the final battle scene, and then the main character died, total Romeo and Juliet. The in flight news came on next, so I went back to my laptop, reading emails and waiting for Bella to wake up.


	5. Chapter 5

BPOV

BPOV

I could feel myself waking up, and groaned. I don't know how long I had been asleep but it definitely wasn't nearly long enough. I felt like I had been run over by at truck. As I became slightly more conscious, I realized that although I was quite comfortable, I was laying at a strange position. My body was angled towards the right and there was a strange weight on my shoulders. Not figuratively. Literally. It almost felt like an arm. That brought me back to reality with a jolt. I opened my eyes slowly to see that I was more or less leaning over the armrest on Edwards chest and he had his arm over my shoulders. As much as I didn't want to move, I tilted my head up enough to look into that beautiful face, to see him smiling down at me.

"Morning, sunshine." I felt my face heat as I sat up straighter in my seat and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

"I'm sorry." I didn't quite know what I was apologizing for, but felt the need to anyways.

"Not a problem. You get enough sleep?" I shook my head a bit to clear the fogginess that lingered.

"I think so. How long have I been out?" he glanced at his watch.

"Looks to be about 5 maybe 6 hours." My eyes widened.

"Really?" I asked incredulously. He smiled.

"Your were out like a log." He paused for a second and smirked. "Although I have never heard a log talk." My fading blush came back with full force and I ducked my head to hide my embarrassment.

"What did I say?"

"Oh nothing, just something about eating frogs, and something about pumpkin juice." I laughed. I was curious. "Care to elaborate?"

"When I was 12, my brother, the dear lovely wonderful person that he is, found a frog by the pond in our back yard and when I asked him to put it back, he put it down my shirt instead." He laughed.

"That sounds…uh, fun." He commented and I laughed.

"Oh, yeah. Having a fat slimy green blob hopping around in your shirt is wonderful. You should try it sometime." He chuckled.

"I think I'll pass, but thanks for the offer."

"That's what I thought." We didn't talk for a few minutes but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Usually protracted silences make me uneasy, like the other person is passing judgment on me or something. But strangely enough, I didn't get that vibe from Edward. That may sound weird, but there was just something about him that made me feel secure. Safe. I didn't have anymore time to think about it though, because my thoughts were interrupted.

"You like pumpkin juice?" he asked me and I laughed again.

"Believe it or not, it's actually pretty good."

"I'll take your word for it."

"So." I said after another silent moment.

"So."

"Do tell." He looked at my, confused.

"Tell you what?"

"Any interesting childhood stories you feel like sharing?" he nodded, still slightly confused.

"You want me to tell you a story about my childhood because…"

"Because it's not fair that you know something about me because I talk in my sleep and couldn't help it. This way we would be even." He laughed.

"I see. Um. I used to eat dirt." I rolled my eyes.

"What kid didn't eat dirt? That so doesn't count. Try again."

"The first time I went off a diving board I belly flopped and pretended I did it on purpose." I shook my head.

"Weak." He thought for a minute or so and then I saw his eyes widen slightly and his face turned bright red.

"Oh this I have to know."

"Know what," he feigned innocence. "I haven't thought of anything yet."

"Yeah, right. You just turned the color of a tomato so don't try to tell me you didn't think of anything. Spit it out."

"No way. Mine is way worse than yours."

"It can't be that bad."

"Ha, that's what you think."

"Fine. You tell me your most embarrassing story and I will tell you mine." He smirked

"And how do I know that is fair. For all I know the frog was your most embarrassing story." I laughed outright at this.

"You are looking at the most clumsy uncoordinated person on the face of the earth. I am pretty sure my probably far outranks yours." He considered me for a moment.

"Ok, deal. But you have to tell your story first."

"No deal. I already told you 2 stories technically." I made a forward motion with my hand. "Proceed sir." He looked down stubbornly.

"Fine. A couple of years ago I lost a bet with a few friends and the stakes had been that the loser had to wear a dress to the prom and the winner got to do their hair and makeup." I stared at him for a moment and then exploded in laughter. I couldn't catch a breath and my sides hurt so bad I thought I would pass out but I couldn't stop laughing.

"Well I am glad you find it so amusing." He said after I caught my breath a bit.

"I assume you got kicked out of the dance." I said between giggles.

"Ha. I wish that was it. I actually got kicked out of classes for a week." I looked at him and started laughing all over again and it took me several minutes to compose myself.

"I'm sorry. Give me a second." I bent forward and took several deep breaths before sitting up straight.

"I'm good now."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want you dying because of me."

"Nope. We're good."

"Your turn."

"Ha. Well you were right it is nothing compared to yours, but it is still really embarrassing in its own right.

My friend Angela and I went to a Coldplay concert. We were sitting on the curb afterwards waiting for band to come outside along with like 10 thousand other screaming girls just so we could get autographs and such. It was mainly for Angela. I still enjoyed the concert, they just aren't really my kind of music. Anyways we were pretty much the last 2 people left and were getting ready to leave but the band came out just as I tripped on the curb and totally biffed it into the sidewalk. Ripping my shirt in the process I might add. Which sucked. I liked that shirt. Anyways the bass guitar player whose name I can never remember, helped me up and then decided to take off his shirt and give it to me since mine was…well, unsalvageable. And then Angie freaked out and asked them to sign some stuff. It was totally embarrassing. But on the flip side, they gave us backstage passes for another concert. That was kinda cool." I finished up my story and waited for him to reply.

"Wow." Apparently that was all he could think to say.

"Yeah, it pretty much sucked."

"I can imagine. Except I am not a girl, so not really." I laughed.

"I would hope not. That would be kinda weird."

"Just slightly." Another silence followed. I wanted to continue talking but that latte I had was catching up to me.

"I will be right back." I told him simply and got from my seat to walk to the bathroom at the back of the plane. There was a guy in line in front of me and when I came to stand behind him he turned and looked at me. His greasy hair was a weird shade of dirty blonde that was slicked back from his face in a most unattractive way. He obviously thought he was all that by the way he acted but his clothes were so awful it was hard not to laugh. He smiled at me in a way he must have thought was sexy, but all it gave was a sleaze ball vibe. He motioned for me to proceed in front of him.

"Thank you." I said as I squeezed past him in the small isle.

"No problem. Names Mike." He said extending his hand. I hesitated a moment not really wanting to tell him my real name.

"Marie." I replied but didn't offer my hand.

"Where ya from." He seemed bent on getting me to talk. Thank goodness the lavatory opened and a lady walked out.

"Excuse me." I said to him and walked inside, making sure the door was locked. A minute later I washed my hands and opened the door to head back to my seat. Unfortunately, Mike was still standing there trying to fill the small hallway with his "masculinity" and failing miserably. What fool girl actually fell for his act that made him think it actually worked, I didn't really want to know. I tried to edge past him but he blocked the way.

"Where are you headed?" he asked with a hand on the wall.

"Back to my seat."

"How about you join me in here?" he gestured towards the bathroom with a suggestive look on his face. Thank goodness a male flight attendant chose that time to do her rounds.

"Ma'am is this man bothering you?" I gave him a grateful smile.

"I am just trying to get back to my seat and this nice gentleman was just about to move out of my way." I looked at Mike and he moved his arm, allowing me to walk down the isle back to my seat and sat down.

"Oh good your back." Was Edwards comment. I laughed.

"What, did you think I was going to jump out of the plane or something?" he looked at me sheepishly.

"Actually I was hoping you could watch my laptop while I use the restroom."

"I'd rather not." He looked shocked and I laughed again. "Of course I'll watch it." he smiled and walked down the isle I had just come from. I stood for a moment and reached into my other carryon in the overhead compartment to grab my journal when I felt a presence behind me. I turned and froze. Mike was standing behind me.

"Wanna sit?" he asked but obviously it wasn't a question with the way he pushed past me into the center seat and pulled me down next to him. I shot a glance at the person in the window seat, but they were dead to the world. I looked back at him, an angry glare on my face.

"What are you doing?" his grin was positively evil as he grabbed my arm.

"I just want to talk. And no one says no to me." He said in an even tone.

"I believe I just did. Now will you please leave me alone." I replied angrily ripping my arm from his grasp and hoping to myself that he wasn't flying with any friends. Just then I felt and hand squeeze my shoulder.


	6. Chapter 6

EPOV

EPOV

I finished up in the bathroom and headed back to my seat, smiling politely at the flight attendant that passed me. I could hear an angry conversation going on just ahead and clearly heard the angry words:

"…No one says no to me." I didn't realize the words were directed at Bella until I heard her reply.

"I believe I just did. Now will you please leave me alone." That was enough for me. I put my hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. I felt her stiffen as I looked at the creep sitting in my seat.

"Bells, is he bothering you?" I could feel her sag with relief under my hand as she turned towards me, gratitude written all over her face.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I asked him nicely to leave me alone and he refused." I could tell that even though she was acting brave, she was shaken. Her voice had a slight tremor to it as she spoke and she looked about ready to faint.

"You heard the lady. Move." Whoever this joker was glared death at me but stood and walked away without a word. I watched him walk away didn't turn back to Bella until I saw him sit back down in his seat, several rows ahead of us, and on the other side of the plane thankfully. I looked back down to see Bella's face was as white as a sheet and she was shaking. I threw a glare towards the idiot asleep by the window, even though none if it had been his fault. I knelt down in the isle next to her seat.

"Bella? Are you ok?" I asked. All she could seem to do was stare at the back of the seat in front of her.

"Bella, listen to me." After several moments, she turned to look at me. "I need to know if he hurt you?" she shook her head slightly. "Bella, what happened?" I could still feel her shaking under my hand and it took her several minutes to reply.

"I don't really know. He came onto me in the bathroom line but I thought he got the message and then all of the sudden he was sitting there and grabbing me and I didn't know what to do and he wouldn't listen to me to leave me alone." By this time she had tears coming down her face. I put my arms around her and hugged her.

"It's ok Bella. Everything is going to be alright. I won't leave you alone for the rest of the flight, ok?" I felt her nod her head in my shoulder. I pulled out the handkerchief that I always carried and handed it to her once she pulled away and was sniffling and wiping her tears on her sleeve.

"I want you to sit in my seat Bella." She looked at me questioningly.

"Why?"

"Because it would make me feel better."

"Okayy, but…"

"Just humor me, Bella." I didn't want to tell her the main reason was to keep that creep from touching her again or that I wanted to get a picture of him to take to security to file a police report. To my surprise, she didn't object, just lifted the armrest between the seats and scooted over, accidentally bumping the guy by the window. The moron actually had the nerve to wake up and glare at her as if she had just run over his prize lawn gnome. Idiot. She got settled in and I sat down next to her.

"I hate to sound like a broken record, but are you sure you are ok?" she nodded but was silent for several minutes. She was still white as a sheet and I didn't like the look of her swollen wrist. The jerk had gripped her so hard that it was already starting to bruise. I swore under my breath.

"What's his problem anyway? I don't even know him." She was trying to be brave.

"Some people are just pigs Bella. There's no way around it."

"But why me?" she asked, a tear trailing down her face unheeded.

"Because those kinds of people are bullies with a small ego that like to pick on others they think are weak to make themselves feel better. It's nothing that you did Bella. None of this was your fault." I tried to reassure her but she didn't look convinced.

"Bella, he is just a thug that saw a beautiful girl and though easy target."

"Well then what's gonna stop him from coming back?"

"As long as I am here Bella I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." I told her earnestly. She paused on those words.

"Thank you, Edward." She told me in such a voice that I couldn't resist the urge to reach over and hug her again. The flight attendants came by a few minutes later and I got Bella some water and Tylenol.

"Let me know if you need anything else, ok?" she smiled weakly in acknowledgement. I didn't know what else to do, so I grabbed my headphones and plugged them back in to listen to the news, with the volume way down mind you, and stole glances at her every couple of minutes. She seemed to be ok, but she was still a little pale.

The next movie to come on was _I-Robot_. I had seen it before and it was decent so I settled in to watch that one as well. The next few times I glanced over at Bella to see how she was doing, she was staring intently at the movie screen trying to watch the movie without earplugs. At least she had her color back and didn't seem to be in shock anymore. After another glance over, I finally took my earplugs out and leaned over.

"Whatcha doin?" I whispered in her ear and she jumped. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." I chuckled. She looked at me sheepishly.

"I was trying to watch the movie but it's a little hard to follow without earplugs." I handed mine over and flagged down a flight attendant. They were probably getting really tired of me.

"Can I get another pair of earplugs, please?" I asked her when one stopped at my seat. She came back with a pair and I smiled my thanks and plugged them in.

"So, what exactly is happening? Why is that robot attacking the house?" she wanted to know after a few minutes. I tried to explain it without giving anything away.

"Will Smith's character is a detective for homicide in the future and doesn't like robots. He gets called in on a murder scene and the victim is a doctor that he knew who apparently killed himself but Spooner thinks he was murdered so he…"

"Wait. Who is Spooner?"

"Sorry, Spooner is Smith's character. Anyways he gets permission to visit the guys apartment at the place where they make all the robots and there is one hiding inside, so he takes the robot into custody for murder and then goes to the guys house that is supposed to be demolished the next morning but the robots orders are changed and it starts demolishing the house with him inside."

"Gotcha." A couple minutes later, she leaned over again.

"So what are the 3 laws?" I thought for a moment.

"I don't really remember, but the gist of them is that robots can't harm humans." She nodded once and then leaned back in her seat.

"You feeling better?" I asked.

"A bit. I'm still a little queasy but I think I'll be fine."

"I'll take you to the security office if you want to file a report." She looked to be contemplating it for a moment.

"What will they be able to do?"

"They can take our statements with a description and send it along to the local police department. Or constable. Or whatever they are called here." She thought about it for another moment.

"I think that is a good idea. At least that way they can have something to compare with if he tries anything while he's here."

"Awesome. We'll head over there as soon as we land and get our bags."

"Sounds like a plan. Now shut up so I can watch my movie." She said playfully and I laughed. Yep, she was feeling better.

BPOV

The rest of the plane ride was pretty uneventful, thank goodness. I still couldn't believe what happened. I mean I've been hit on by guys before, but none had ever grabbed me and yanked me around. And especially not thousands of feet in the air on a plane. Why that made it scarier, I don't know, but it did. At least I had something to distract me from my thoughts. The movie was ok. Not really my cup of tea. I usually prefer romantic movies, but I wasn't picky.

And Edward talked non-stop which had it been anyone else and under normal circumstances I would have found severely annoying, but with him I couldn't stop laughing. He told me several stories about him as a kid with his friend, Jasper I think he said his name was, and they sounded like little terrors.

The pilot made pretty good time and we landed ahead of schedule, even with the delay, at about 3, and we went through customs and collected our luggage, then headed over to the security office. Somehow, Edward had managed to get a picture of "Mike" and willingly supplied it as reference for the report.

We headed down the corridors of the airport, which was pretty empty. Neither of us felt tired because our bodies thought it was only 6 pm. Edward was talking on the phone to his mom, walking in wide circles to get good reception and assuring her that he had safely landed while I was debating the fact of whether I should head straight to Rose and Em's or get a hotel for the night and not wake them when I heard yelling. I didn't give it a second thought until someone grabbed my arm and jerked me to a halt, causing me to knock my luggage on the ground. I thought to myself "W_hat's with people grabbing me today_" as I was spun around and then realized people wasn't accurate. It was Mike. Again.

"Hey, I wasn't finished with you earlier." He said angrily.

"Well I was done with you. Go away." I wasn't as scared now that my feet were on solid ground and tried to push him away.

"No…" he started to say something else but Edward cut him off.

"Are you seriously that thickheaded? She obviously doesn't want anything to do with you. Now take your hands off of her or I won't be responsible for my actions." He said in a deadly calm voice. Mike sneered but didn't loosen his hold, even as I yanked against his grip.

"And what is she to you?"

"It doesn't matter what I am to him." I interrupted before Edward could answer. "What matters is what I am _not_ to you. Now let me go." I all but yelled and tried to pull free again. By this time people were staring. Mike looked at Edward and finally released my arm.

"Fine." he stated, and started to walk away, then turned back around and punched Edward square in the face, sending him staggering backwards.

"You have got to be kidding me. This guy just doesn't take a hint." Edward commented as Mike came at him again. But this time he was ready. He blocked and dodged the few punches sent his way never throwing any back in retaliation, and then used Mikes own weight against him, causing him to stumble and face plant into the floor. By this time security had come on the scene and before Mike gather his wits about him to attack Edward again, officers had pulled him up off the ground and had him in cuffs. I watched them haul him down the hallway, and then turned back to Edward. He had a pretty nasty cut on his lip that was bleeding badly.

"Are you ok?" I checked with him as he massaged his jaw a bit.

"Nothing I can't handle. My sister can hit harder than that joker." The security guards approached us then and it was another 45 minutes before we were able to actually leave the airport as we had to go back down to the security office and wait for the police to show up so we could file an official report. It was almost 4 when Edward hailed me a taxi. I gave the cabbie Emmett's address and turned to Edward standing on the curb while my luggage was loaded.

"Thanks for everything. as silly as this sounds, I am really glad you knocked me over in Seattle." We both laughed before he reached over and gave me a hug, which I gladly returned.

"Take care Bella." He said as I got in the cab and shut the door. I waved from the inside as it pulled away, and couldn't help but turn and watch him disappear from sight through the back window. I turned around when I couldn't see him anymore and sighed. I rummaged through my bag to find my journal and began to write. With all that happened today, it was going to be a long entry.

The cab turned down roads and soon pulled up in front of a small house.

"Here we go." He said and got out to unload my luggage. I paid him a moment later, thankful that I had had my bills changed over days before I flew out. He pulled away as I grabbed my bags and headed up the walkway. It was to dark to notice any real detail on the house and all the lights in the house were off but from what I could see, it was cute with its porch and overhangs and pointed roof. I knocked softly and after several moments I heard a grumble and a thump. The front porch light turned on a moment before the door opened.

"It's 4:30 in the morning what the hel…" a groggy Emmett started to bellow at me before his eyes adjusted.

"Bella?" I grinned at his confused face.

"Emmy, are you gonna invite me in or let me stand out on your front porch all night." It seemed to register then as I was drug across the threshold and enveloped in a huge bear hug.

"BELLA!" he yelled excitedly.

"Emmett, what are you talking about her flight doesn't land till this afternoon." I heard Rose complain before she rounded the corner of the hall and stopped dead.

"BELLA!" she exclaimed and then grabbed me from Emmett's arms to hug me too.

"We are so sorry," she started in. "We thought your plane came in at 3 pm. How did you get here?"

"I hailed a taxi. It was no big deal. Really."

"I feel just awful. We will find someway to make it up to you I promise." She insisted. "I'll show you to your room so you can get settled and get some sleep. Even if you aren't tired, I gotta get up early for work tomorrow and need my beauty sleep." We all laughed. I followed her up the stairs and to the first room on the right.

"Em and I are last door on the right. Emma's room is right next to yours and the bathrooms right across the hall. We'll see you tomorrow Bella." She said after she hugged me again and went back down the hall. It took me no time to find my pajamas change, then head to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. In minutes I crawled into the queen size bed and snuggled in. once I stopped moving I realized I actually was quite tired and before I felt myself go to sleep, I heard Emmett's snoring from down the hall and smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

EPOV

EPOV

I hailed myself a cab after I watched until Bella's was out of sight and 15 minutes later I pulled up in front of the my hotel. I gathered my bags, paid the cabbie and headed up the steps to check in. I informed the guy at the front counter that I needed a 630 am wake up call and a 7:30 am taxi service. It was now almost 4:30 which meant I was only going to get about 2 hours of sleep, if that. I shouldn't have told Ellen I could work today but that would probably not be the best way to start out a work relationship with your new boss.

The hotel room was nondescript, like any other hotel room I had been in, except for the fact that it was in Germany. I walked in, closed the door behind me, took off my coat and threw myself onto the bed, fully clothed. I knew I should have slept on the plane, but with the episode with that freak show, Mike, I didn't take the slightest chance with anything. Those were my cheerful thoughts before I fell into and exhausted sleep.

So when I woke up a few hours later, I felt like I hadn't slept at all. The first thing I did after almost throwing the phone across the room for waking me up was make some coffee. The brew was ok. I had definitely had better, but at this moment I wasn't going to complain. I had planned on getting my gear together the night before, but when my head had hit that pillow I was a goner. So I had a little extra work for me this morning. It was almost 7 by the time I was awake enough to get into the shower so I had to hall butt so that I could make it out to the taxi on time.

The drive to the shoot was much like the drive to the hotel the night before. It was to dark to really see anything and it wouldn't have mattered anyways because I was too tired to care what was going on with the outside world. When I got to the shoot, there were already models there, getting ready with hair makeup outfits the works. How and why it took them so long to get ready was beyond me, but I didn't ask. I was just there to take the pictures.

The first thing I did was talk to the person running the shoot. I needed to know what exactly I was taking pictures for, what kind of angles the wanted, the settings. Everything sounded pretty basic. It was a simple catalog shoot. Something like you would see in the Macys or JcPenny or Victoria's Secret adds.

The crew was a different story. Obviously I had never worked with them before, and some of them didn't speak very good English. I had studied up on my German that last few months when I got news of the transfer, but that didn't make me fluent. I picked up a few things here and there but for the most part, but I was ready to pull out the mini dictionary I had picked up a few days before while talking to the head grip when a voice stopped me.

"Excuse me. I couldn't help notice you were having some trouble. Can I help?" The blonde addressing me was tall, probably about 5'10" without heels with a figure that was probably the envy of the rest of the people walking around the shoot. Her hair hung down to the middle of her back in waves. There was no doubt she was one of the models. But even though she was definitely pretty, I couldn't help but compare her to Bella who probably wasn't "model material" but was more beautiful than any girl I had ever met in my life. The blonde in front of me included.

"Do you speak German?" I asked her. She smiled.

"Fluently. What do you need to know?" I told her what I needed to know from the crew member and she translated. A few minutes later, everything was cleared up and the grip had 2 other crew members adjusting the lighting and set to my specifications.

"Thank you." I told the blonde with relief. "You are a lifesaver." She laughed again and held her hand out.

"Rosalie Swan."

"Edward Cullen. Nice to meet you Rosalie."

"Just Rose is fine. So you are the new guy?" it was my turn to laugh.

"That's me. Is it that obvious?"

"Not really, but when my boss told us we had to use another photographer that Ellen had just hired from America and I didn't recognize you, I figured it out pretty quick. Plus you look like you've been hit by a train. When did you get here?"

"About 4 this morning." I said, I rubbed my eyes. I definitely needed more coffee if I was gonna make it through this.

"You just flew in this morning?" she asked incredulously then shook her head. "Wow, today is going to be brutal."

"Tell me about it." I commented absently and she chuckled.

"Well, I have to go finish getting ready, but almost all of the models speak English so you should be ok there. Some of the crew is a different story, so if you need me to translate again just holler." She grinned.

"Thanks. It was nice to meet you Rose."

"Same here. I'll check you later, Edward." She said as she walked away. I headed over to the concession table and grabbed another cup of coffee and a sandwich and headed over to the set to start the day.

The shoot didn't take as long as I had expected. After every 500 pictures or so I had to upload the pictures to my computer and the representative from whatever company I was shooting for (I couldn't pronounce the name) would go over them and pick out the ones he liked the best. I don't know how many cups of coffee I went through, but given the buzz I was feeling now, I would probably up for the next 24 hours. My watch said 4:30 pm as I was packing up my equipment and making final arrangements with the rep. I was getting ready to call a cab when I heard someone call my name.

"Hey, Edward. Hold up!" I watched as Rose crossed the studio mutter a few things in her phone and then hang up.

"Good job today." She said as she came up next to me.

"Thanks. I hope they are satisfied. I didn't quite understand everything he was saying through his accent."

"Well, considering Andreas is one of our more… eccentric customers, I'm impressed. He seemed really please with your work." I digested that for a moment.

"His name was Andreas?" she laughed.

"You're alright Edward." She said as we headed outside. "Where's your car?"

"I had to take a cab."

"Oh, that's right. You probably haven't had time to get a car, have you?" I shook my head.

"Nope."

"Well, hey why don't I give you a ride? Where you headed?"

"You don't have to do that. I don't mind calling another cab." I tried but she shook her head.

"I insist." She stopped me with a hand when I tried to protest. "And don't even think about arguing with me. You won't win. Just ask my husband." She said as she led me over to a Minivan.

"I had to upgrade when I had my daughter." I looked at her, slightly amazed and she laughed. "I get that reaction a lot."

"How old is she?"

"She's only 6 months old. Today was actually my first normal shoot since I had her. Once I started showing, they had me doing maternity but I quit a couple months before she was born to have some time for just me and Emmett before Emma was born." She laughed then. "I must have been high on something when I named her after her father. It just made his head that much bigger. But it just fit her so well. When you look at her, she just looks like an Emma." All of my equipment was loaded up now and we were in the car, pulling out on the street. I gave her the name of the hotel and we were off.

"Thanks for this. Its gonna get old calling cabs all the time. I can't wait till I have my own car."

"Yeah, I know how that is. When Emmett and I moved her 2 years ago we had the same problem. It took us forever to find a suitable car. Course suitable back then was a Mercedes Convertible." I was listening to her when something occurred to me.

"Wait a minute." I said suddenly, remembering my conversation with Bella in the airport and then again on the plane after she woke up. Bella said her brothers name was Emmett and his daughter was named Emma and he and his wife moved to Germany 2 years ago. I knew it was just my imagination but I had to know for sure.

"Do you have a sister named Bella?"

"Yes." She replied hesitantly. No way.

BPOV

The next morning I woke up feeling great. Until I realized what time it was. The clock on the dresser said almost 4. I couldn't believe I slept for almost 12 hours straight. I got up and headed to the bathroom across the hall and took a nice long shower,. Once I had fixed my hair and got dressed I headed downstairs to the kitchen. It may have been 4:30 pm here but my body was telling me it was breakfast time and I was starving.

Emmett was sitting in the living room burping Emma and watching football. Of course.

"Bout time you got up. I was about to get the fog horn. You must have been exhausted. Rose said you didn't even talk last night." He said when he spotted me in the doorway.

"Like she could hear it over the jet engine of your snoring. How she stands you is beyond me."

"It's my boyish charm." He gave me a huge grin then motioned me over. "Come on over and meet your niece." My grin was equally as big when as I sat next to him on the couch and he handed her over, draping the burp rag over my shoulder. I held her in front of me and laughed as she gave me a huge toothy grin and then spit up down my shirt.

"Thanks sweetie." I told her as I handed her back to Emmett so I could go change my shirt.

"Emmett, what is there to eat?" I called down the stairs.

"What ever you feel like making!" was my answer. I chuckled. Emmett and Rose and never been ones for cooking. I hit up the kitchen and was in the process of making myself a bacon and cheese omelet when Rose walked through the door.

"Hey Rose. Want an omelet?" I asked her as she threw her gym bag next to the couch and bent to give Emmett a kiss and whisper something in his ear.

"Sure. All the fixins." For Rose that meant green peppers, onions, garlic, avocados, bacon, 3 kinds of cheese, pepperoni and tuna. I knew I would find everything I needed. She may not know how to cook anything else, but Rose could make a mean omelet. I never understood how someone her size could eat so much and still be a stick.

"Coming right up." I told her.

"So, Bella." She said, coming into the kitchen to lean on the counter next to me. "I have been meaning to ask you how your plane ride was."

"It was good." I laughed remembering how Edward had knocked me over and how we ended up sitting together.

"What's so funny?" she wanted to know.

"Oh nothing. I met this guy in the airport and we ended up sitting next to each other on the plane."

"Was he cute?" was her next question and I couldn't help but blush.

"You can't even imagine."

"Oh, I bet I could." She said and I looked at her for a second. She had a very satisfied look on her face.

"What's up Rose?" I asked, knowing her all to well.

"Nothing is up. I was just curious about your flight." I could tell she was smug about something but I let it go.

"Oh, hey Rose, Is it ok if a friend joins us for dinner next week? He's new on set and I want to help him settle in a bit." Emmett called from the other room.

"Sure. In fact, why don't we make it a blind date? Bella you have to come with us." She told me eagerly. I shook my head.

"Guys, I don't do blind dates. Remember the last guy you tried to set me up with. He was so absorbed in talking about himself he didn't notice me fall asleep on the table. I'd rather not have a repeat thanks."

"Ok, so I admit Tyler was a bit of a jerk. But come on Bella that was just one guy."

"Just one guy? I guess you don't remember Eric, then. Or Jacob or Josh. And oh, lets not forget about Mr. Saved by The Bell Slater wanna-be. Thanks but no thanks. I think I'll pass."

"Oh come on Bella. Please." She begged and I had to fight not to look her in the face. I knew that she would be pulling her puppy dog that no one could say no to. I sneaked a glance anyway and regretted it. Sure enough, the pouty lip and droopy eyes were in place and I caved. I am a wuss when it comes to this kind of thing.

"Alright, fine. But don't blame me if it doesn't work out."

"Oh, I don't think we have to worry about that." She grinned at Emmett and winked.

"And how would you know that. You haven't met the guy."

"Call it a sister's intuition."

"Uh huh. Right. Then let's make a deal. The next time, or shall I say first time, your "sisters intuition" is correct I will babysit for a whole week while you and Emmett go on vacation."

"Ok and if you win, I will give you free reign of my shoes and clothes and 100 dollars."

"Deal." I said

"Deal." She replied eagerly as we shook on it. "Emmett, pack your bags."


	8. Chapter 8

BPOV

BPOV

I can't believe I agreed to this charade. The "date" had to be rescheduled for reasons unknown to me but it was sneaking up fast and Rose was acting like it was senior prom night all over again. She woke me up at 6:30 the day before to go shopping for the "perfect outfit." I personally didn't see the point. It's not like I needed to impress the guy. This was strictly a favor to Emmett. But the more I repeated this fact, the more clothes Rose threw at me. The dressing room floor was covered with so many dresses that I could barely walk to the door to show her the hundredth dress she had tossed my way. I opened the door and she immediately shook her head.

"To modest."

"You're the one that picked it out. Don't blame me."

"Try the red one on." she instructed me as I headed back in. I looked around the yards of fabric to find the one she was talking about.

"Which red one? There's like 10 in here."

"Just grab one and put it on already." she huffed impatiently from outside the door.

"Alright alright. Geez calm down." I grabbed a random dress from the red pile and put it on. It was silk, sleeveless with simple flowing skirt and an empire waist that gathered in the middle, meeting with the v-cut neckline. I stepped out into the hall of the dressing rooms and she looked me over for a second.

"Spin." she indicated for me to twirl in a circle.

"I like the style but that color doesn't look good. I'm gonna see if they have it in blue." she came back a few minutes later and I tried it on.

"Perfect. Now for shoes."

"Really Rose. We have been here for 4 hours. Can't we at least have a lunch break first?"

"But shoes are the easiest part Bella. It won't take that long at all." yeah right. Another 2 hours later we finally made it out of the store, laden down with bags of clothes, most of which were Rose's. She took me to a little deli down the street and we both ordered Panini's. We were there for a bit when Rose suddenly looked at her watch.

"Oh my gosh. We are going to be late." she said as she stood up and rushed me out the door.

"Late for what?" what else could she have possibly planned for today.

"Your hair appointment, silly."

"Rose," I whined as she drug me back to the car. "I don't want to get my hair done. It's just fine."

"Don't be ridiculous Bella. You have the worst split ends I have seen in ages. Your hair is just so…lifeless. It has no volume to it. Jean Claude is going to shoot me when he sees it."

Well, he didn't shoot her, but he visibly cringed when I sat down in the salon chair after introductions were made.

"Well. I have seen worse." He commented to Rose as he reclined my head back into the wash tub and started in on my hair. "Not by much." he mumbled to himself. "What shampoo do you use on your hair?" he asked me as he drenched my hair and then massaged something through it that smelled like mint.

"I usually just buy whatever is cheapest at the store." I answered honestly. Apparently, it was the wrong answer.

"No, no, no! Are you trying to go bald at an early age? I am just glad we got to you in time." Wow, he definitely needed to lay off the morning coffee and take a chill pill.

"You will use only what I tell you to use and nothing else." He told me then turned to Rose. "Throw out all her old shampoo that you can find. I don't want to hear of her using anything else ever again." He then held a bottle in front of my face.

"This is part of the Wen Hair Care line. Use this and only this to wash your hair. Massage it thoroughly through your hair and leave it in for 4-5 minutes then rinse. After you get out of the shower, apply a small amount as a leave in conditioner then follow it up with the styling crème and fix your hair however you want. Understand?" I nodded my head.

"This is what I use Bella. It is absolutely wonderful." Rose commented from somewhere around me. after a few more minutes, he rinsed my hair out and then massaged some more mint smelling stuff through it.

"I was thinking maybe we could add a little more layer to it." Rose said again. I shook my head.

"I like my hair this length."

"We aren't going to cut it Bella. Just razor the edges a bit to give it more volume."

"I really don't want to cut my hair. Can't we just get it styled and be good to go?" I asked hopefully.

"We really need to do something about these split ends." Jean Claude inserted from above me. "But your hair is actually quite beautiful. Once we took care of the gunk problem." By gunk I assumed he meant my shampooing habits.

"You have such natural highlights. Red, blonde, black. It almost shimmers." He continued as he worked on my hair. An hour later, it was dried and styled and I had to admit that it did look a lot healthier than before. I grabbed my stuff and got ready to leave. Apparently Rose had paid beforehand while I was in the chair but I still needed to pay for the shampoo.

"Not necessary." Jean Claude assured me. "This one is no charge. Just knowing that I helped a head of hair in need is all the satisfaction I require." I looked at him skeptically, but he refused to take payment.

"Is he always like that?" I asked Rose once we were out of earshot in the car. She just laughed.

"Jean Claude is a bit overwhelming when you first meet him but he loves what he does and he's good at it." After another "quick" stop at one of Rose's favorite boutiques, we finally made it home. The first thing I did was fall head long on my bed and slept for the next hour. Dinner was good. Of course, take out pizza is always good.

Before I knew it, the big day had arrived and Rose as more insane than I had ever seen her before. It was getting to be quite annoying. By the time we were finally ready, Emmett was complaining that we were going to be late, and with the way traffic was, we were.

"Reservation for Swan." Emmett told the hostess with a smile. She smiled back warmly, but it was strictly professional.

"Of, course. Right this way sir." We were seated a total of maybe 5 minutes when Rose announced that she had left her jacket in the car and that Emmett had to go with her to get it. I was sitting there looking at the menu, waiting for Rose and Em and hoping that my "date" wouldn't show up before they got back when all of the sudden someone's hands were over my eyes and I was enveloped in darkness.

When the person didn't say anything, I put the menu down and covered the hands over my eyes with my own, sure it was Emmett trying to be funny and scare me. Except they didn't feel like Emmett's hands. They were too soft. Still, I had to make sure.

"Emmett?" I asked hesitantly. The answer that came was right next to my ear.

"Guess again." I froze. I knew that voice. I never thought I would ever hear it again, but I would know that voice anywhere.

"Edward?" I asked breathlessly and when he didn't answer, I slowly pulled his hands away and turned around to look into those gorgeous green eyes. When it seemed all I could do was stare he laughed, and with that it hit me.

"Edward!" I jumped up and threw my arms around his neck hugging him fiercely, reacting just as Emmett had when I showed up on their doorstep.

"Did you miss me?" he asked, hugging me back.

"Yes." I replied, not willing to admit just how much I had missed him. Even though we had only spent those few hours on the plane talking, he had somehow made an impression on me that made it hard to forget. Especially when I thought about those hauntingly green eyes and that brilliant crooked smile.

I heard someone clear their throat and blushed crimson when I realized that Rose and Emmett were back and I was still latched onto Edward. I let go reluctantly.

"Care to introduce us to your friend Bella?" Emmett said with a grin that I didn't quite understand. Usually he was very protective of me when it came to guys.

"Uh, sorry. Edward this is my brother Emmett and his wife Rose. Guys this is Edward. He's the one I sat next to on the plane. The one I told you about. Remember?" Rose grinned and nodded. Edward leaned towards me.

"You talked about me?" I felt my face heat again even as I stuck my chin in the air in defiance.

"Well, it's not like the flight was that interesting. What was I supposed to tell them when they ask 'Bella how was your flight?'?" he laughed.

"So what brings you out tonight?" I made a face.

"I have a "date"." I said sourly.

"Actually, he just called and canceled. Something about a fever and puking his guts out." Emmett said and Rose and I both smacked him.

"What?!'

"Really Emmett," she scolded, "We are in a restaurant. Could you at least try and act your age." He just grinned and she looked to me and Edward. "I swear it's like talking to a 3 year old."

"But you still love me." Emmett whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. She laughed.

"And only God knows why." I cleared my throat at them and they all laughed. Rose recovered first.

"Since it seems we are down a person tonight, Edward. Would you care to join us?" Edward looked down at me and I grinned.

"I would love to."

**A/N – This is just the first part of this chapter its almost 2 in the morning here and I am to tired to get the rest up tonight but I didn't want to leave yall hangin lol I'll get the rest up in the next couple days and update the other story as well**


	9. Chapter 9

EPOV

EPOV

Everything went perfectly according to plan. Rose and Emmett were going to make sure they were late so I could get there first. Once they got there Rose was going to make up some excuse for her and Emmett to have to go back to the car and then they would call me from the parking lot.

Bella's face once she figured out who was behind her was worth all the scheming. She was even more beautiful than I remembered. Her hair was a halo around her head, falling to her shoulders and her face was absolutely glowing. I couldn't take my eyes off her.

Once all the "introductions" were made, we all sat down and Emmett and Rose ordered for us. Bella and Rose both ended up with some kind of marinated chicken salad while Emmett and I both had steak.

"So, Edward. What do you do for a living?" Rose asked between bites. I smiled to myself. Sooner or later, Bella was going to figure out that we set her up, but until then I couldn't help but play my part.

"I am a photographer. I specialize in company catalog advertisements. Macy's, Nordstrom. That kind of thing."

"No kidding." This came from Emmett. "Rose here is a model."

"Really? What are the chances?"

"Didn't I tell you he was a photographer?" Bella inserted. I glanced over at her and noticed that she was already done with her salad.

"Now that you mention it, I believe you did. But you didn't tell me what kind of photographer."

"So what brought you to Germany, Edward?" Emmett asked.

"Job transfer. There was an opening with the company here in Germany and I was the only person willing to travel who wasn't tied down."

"Well, lets hope you find something to tie you down here." Rose grinned and winked at Bella, who in turn blushed a brilliant red. The rest of the night was pretty calm. Once the check was taken care of, we headed out to the parking lot. Thank goodness I had enough time from when I met Rose and when we planned the dinner to find a decent car. I was now the proud owner of a silver Volvo S60R, thanks to the money I got from selling my older model Mercedes back home.

"So, Edward. Care to join me for some video games?" Emmett asked as we headed to our separate cars. I smiled. This wasn't exactly part of the plan, but I liked Emmett. And any way I could spend more time with Bella was always a plus.

"Sure. Where to?"

"We'll head back to the house."

"Why don't you ride with him Bella? We have to pick Emma up from the babysitters anyways." Rose suggested. Bella grinned. I led her over to the Volvo and opened the passenger door for her to get in. It took a few minutes for her to give me directions and then we were pulling up in front of a small house. I parked the car on the street and got out to open Bella's door and escort her inside. Emmett was already in the kitchen, emptying the cupboards and fridge of all popcorn, junk food, soda, ice cream etc. Bella just rolled her eyes.

"He really likes his video games. Prepare to get pulverized."

"Hey now. You have never seen me play." She laughed.

"True. I was just quoting Emmett. Do us all a favor and bring him down a few notches. I guess Rose and I are making brownies or something so I am gonna change. Have fun." She stated theatrically as she headed up the stairs, leaving me with Emmett. When he started to push all the furniture to the walls in the living room, I started to get worried. He pulled the controllers from their spot on top of the 52 inch TV and handed me one then proceeded to crack his knuckles.

"Prepare to be pulverized." I had to laugh at how accurately Bella nailed it. I was actually pretty good at this particular game so I figured I could down play it a bit and then come from behind and beat him good but a couple minutes into the game and I knew I had underestimated Emmett. It took all I could to hold him off in the first round and before I knew it, we were both jumping around, leaning, pushing. Who knew Mario Kart could be so intense. After about an hour and a half of serious playing, we took a break and headed to the kitchen where the brownies were cooling on the counter.

"Emmett don't you dare." Rose smacked his hand with the spatula as he reached for the pan.

"What?! I just wanted a small bite!"

"Emmett, your small bite is half the pan."

"May I have a piece?"

"Yes, you can have one Edward." Bella said and I smiled smugly at Emmett as I took a bite of the one she handed me.

"These are absolutely wonderful."

"Yeah, that Betty Crocker really knows what she's doing." We hung around the kitchen talking and eating brownies and milk. When I glanced at my watched I realized that it was almost 1 in the morning.

"I hate to be a party pooper but I gotta get going. I have a shoot tomorrow morning."

"I'll walk you out." Bella said as she took the apron she was wearing off and we headed towards the front door.

"You know, I never asked what you were doing in the restaurant?" she said suddenly causing me to hesitate for a second. Rose and I had discussed this but the story that we make up flew right out of my head at that second.

"I was, uh, across the street and saw you walk in the restaurant."

"Really. I'm surprised I didn't see you, the parking lot wasn't that full." She shrugged and I let out a breath. I didn't want her to know we had plotted against her. When we got to the door Bella stopped turned and looked at me.

"It was really good to see you again Edward." She said earnestly. I stared at her for a moment.

"Goodnight, Bella."

"Goodnight, Edward." I paused at the door.

"Can I see you again?" she smiled.

"I would like that." I smiled at her in return and before I could stop myself, I bent down and kissed her cheek.

"Tomorrow?"

"Sure. Where at?"

"I'll pick you up. Say around 2:30. Is that alright?"

"No." she said seriously and, I looked at her, shocked. But after a few seconds and smile peeked through and then turned into a full blown grin. "Of course it's ok, goof. I'll see you tomorrow. 2:30." She winked at me as she shut the door. I stayed on the front porch, staring at the place where Bella had been standing for a few moments and then smiled to myself.


	10. Chapter 10

BPOV

Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough. I said goodnight to Edward at the door and headed straight upstairs to my room, suddenly exhausted. I took the time to get in my pajama's brush my teeth and wash my face and then fell flat onto the bed, not even climbing under the blankets. I woke up with kinks all over but it didn't matter, because I was going to see Edward again today. Last night seemed like a dream. I mean, I knew that he was in Germany, but I never expected to see him again. I about fainted when I heard his voice behind me.

"Bells, are you going to come down and eat or not?" Emmett boomed from downstairs. I didn't smell breakfast and realized why. My alarm clock said 2:06 pm. 2:06?! I flew out of bed and hit the closet at a run, trying to find something to wear. A couple minutes later, I was skidding into the bathroom. I had showered last night right before dinner, so I didn't absolutely need one, but my hair probably made me look something akin to Medusa. I tried to run a brush through it, but that just seemed to make it worse. I glanced at my watch. 2:17. I had just decided that I had enough time to wash and scrunch it when the doorbell rang. Emmett's voice carried up a moment later.

"Bella, Edwards here." Oh for Pete sake, of all the times for a guy to actually be early, it had to be today.

"Just a second!" I took one last look in the mirror and gave up. I didn't have enough time to do anything but throw it up in a ponytail. I dashed back to my room to grab my shoes and slid to a halt before I collided with Edward who was blocking my way, leaning casually against my doorjamb with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey." He grinned and I blushed, my stomach fluttering with sudden butterflies. How did he do that with just one word? It was so not fair.

"Hi."

"You ready?" he asked, his smile growing wider as he took in my hair and bare feet. I pinned him with a look.

"I will have you know that I would have been perfectly ready if you hadn't showed up 15 minutes early, so don't even start with me." I must have looked and sounded grumpier than I though because he put his hands in the air.

"I'm unarmed."

"Sorry, I'm not really a morning person." I mumbled. He raised brow.

"It's a 2:15 in the afternoon."

"Well, I just got up a bit ago. I don't know if you recall, but we were up rather late last night."

"I do remember something of the sort. But if you remember, I also I had a shoot at 7 am this morning, remember? Which reminds me. My previous caffeine buzz is wearing off and I need to reinforcements."

"Just let me finish getting ready and we can be off." I said as I scooted past him into my room. I grabbed a pair of socks from the drawer and my tennies from under the bed and headed out the door. As I walked past the mirror in the hallway, I tried to take one last, quick look at my hair but Edward noticed.

"What's wrong?" he questioned.

"I didn't have time to fix my hair." At the he laughed.

"Your hair looks just fine." I crossed my arms and huffed.

"Which is another way of saying it looks awful." I started to turn to head down the stairs but he caught my chin and forced me to look at him. When I met his eyes, there was no laughter there.

"Bella, you look beautiful just the way you are." I couldn't help it. I blushed again.

"Ready?" I mumbled after a moment. He motioned towards the stairs.

"After you." He followed me down the stairs and caught me when I stumbled slightly on the rug in front of the door. Luckily the car wasn't to far away or I probably would have embarrassed myself again. He walked ahead of me and opened the door for me to get in.

"Thank you." I nodded. He winked and walked around the car and got in himself, after shutting my door.

"So." I said and a sly grin on his face.

"So." It was such a silly thing, but it was kind of our greeting and it thrilled me that he remembered. I grinned as he lifted a brow in my direction, still smiling.

"How did your shoot go?" I asked a minute later. He started shaking his head. "That bad huh."

"My German still isn't the best, and Rose wasn't there to help me today. Most all of the models and crew spoke nothing but German and the one's that spoke English had such a heavy accent I couldn't understand what they were saying half the time. Needless to say, it was a very long day packed into just a few hours."

"Sounds intense. I used to want to be a model when I was younger, but then Emmett met Rose and she shared with me all of the stuff that goes into it and I decided it wasn't the career for me. Besides, can you imagine me walking around in high heels? Uncoordinated and klutzy as I am already, that would be a death trap waiting to happen."

"You aren't that bad, Bella. I happen to think you are rather graceful." He laughed when I looked at him, my mouth agape with what I am sure was an "Are you serious" look on my face.

"You are. In your own way. I am a photographer, I notice these things. You have more natural grace than most of the professionals that I work with. I would love to photograph you sometime." He gave me a quizzical look when I started shaking my head emphatically.

"What?"

"I don't do pictures." I was still shaking my head.

"Why not?"

"I'm not photogenic. Like, really not photogenic. At all. I always look awful in pictures." This time it was his turn to use the "Are you serious" look.

"Watch the road." I scolded as I blushed because he continued to stare at me. He turned to watch the road again, but looked over at me again.

"What? Stop staring at me." I was definitely blushing now. He shook his head.

"Bella, you are utterly absurd."

"Well, thanks." I replied with some sarcasm.

"You truly don't see yourself like others do. You really are beautiful, Bella." He turned and looked at me for a moment then unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car. I didn't even realize we had arrived until he came around and opened my door for me.

"Thank you. Again." He grinned and winked at me then offered his arm.

"Shall we?" I laughed but took it anyway.

"It's just coffee you know. Nothing special."

"Ah, my sweet. That is where you are wrong. This isn't just any coffee. This is Kaethe's Haus des Kaffees." He said, making a dramatic gesture towards the coffee house. "And any time spent with you is special, my dear." He them bent and kissed my hand. Was he for real? Guys just didn't act like that anymore. I was seriously tempted to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

He escorted me inside and took my coat before seating me in a corner booth near the back windows. He asked me what I wanted, then walked to the counter to place the order. While he was gone, I looked at the little menu they had sitting at the table, but didn't focus for long. The hairs on the back of my neck raised and I got the feeling that someone was watching me. I tried to focus back on the menu, but the feeling didn't go away.

"Something wrong?" Edward leaned over the table as he sat down, taking off his coat to hang it on the chair.

"I don't know. I just got this weird feeling that someone was watching me."

"Where from?"

"I'm sure it was nothing."

"Bella, I still remember what happened on the airplane. Do you want to grab our coffee go somewhere else?"

"No. I like it here. Forget I said anything." he started to say something else, but our coffee arrived. What service. I have never been to a coffee house where they bring it straight to the table.

"So, how is it having Emmett around again?" I was taking a sip of my coffee snorted a little and coughed as coffee went up my nose.

"Sorry. I'm not exactly sure why that was funny, but there are to many stories of Emmett doing stupid, idiotic things to answer that question honestly."

"I am curious now. Tell me something." I thought for a moment then smiled.

"Have you ever heard that country song by Chris Cagle "Chicks Dig It"?"

"Um, no. I don't really listen to country music."

"Oh. Well you should start. There are some really good country songs out there. Anyways the song essentially is all about how chicks dig guys with scars, which is totally Emmett. You should ask him about the lightning scar on his leg. But the song starts out with this kid and his superman cape thinking he can fly so he jumps off the backyard shed and breaks his arm. Well, Emmett pretty much did the same thing; except it was a 2 story house and he wanted to see how high he could bounce jumping onto the trampoline from the roof. Well, it didn't exactly work because it was an old trampoline so he broke right through it and shattered his right thigh. It took 2 surgeries, 9 pins, and 6 months of physical therapy to get his leg back up to full strength." He looked mildly horrified by my story.

"And this is funny why?" he asked.

"It's funny because Emmett being Emmett, who apparently does feel pain, decided that it was, and I quote "Totally wicked awesome!" and tried to climb the ladder with a broken leg so he could do it again. My dad had to pry his hands off gutter."

"Wow." He said after a moment. "Your brother is insane." I laughed out loud at that.

"He will be the first to tell you too. Trust me." We continued to sip our coffee and talk about inconsequential things for the next half hour. I learned that his favorite color was blue, and that his dad was a doctor, and that he also played the piano and sang. I was jealous.

We headed out a few minutes later, and as he was opening my door, I got that feeling that someone was watching me again. I looked around but all I saw were trees and buildings. I brushed it off as nerves and got into the car.

"Where to now?" I asked.

"I want to take you somewhere special."


	11. Chapter 11

**EPOV**

We drove around for a bit, talking. She kept asking me where we were going but I wanted it to be a surprise. I had found this place a couple of days after I had gotten relatively settled in at my new place, not to far from here. I had gone for a run that night, like I used to do ever night at home before I moved, and found a dirt track that was almost invisible under all the overgrown vegetation. I decided to follow it and about 10-15 minutes later, it opened up to a huge, beautiful meadow.

There was a J.B LOVES R.C. carved into one of the bigger trees that I passed and I realized that although this place had obviously been special to someone at some point in time, they must have moved away or forgotten about it because it was obvious it hadn't been visited in a long while. I didn't know whether Bella would like it or not, but I hoped she did.

"Are we there yet?" she asked innocently.

"Patience is a virtue, you know." I said with a laugh. "And no, we aren't there yet." 5 seconds later I pulled into a small parking lot. "Now we're there. Well, almost. We have to walk the rest of the way." She narrowed her eyes and I smiled at her before getting out of the car to open her door.

"So where exactly are we walking to?" she asked as I helped her out of the car.

"I told you, it's a surprise."

"Oh, fine, be that way." She huffed. I popped the trunk and grabbed the blanket and cooler I packed earlier then closed and locked the car.

"Ready?" I offered her my hand. She took it tentatively.

"Exactly how far are we walking? Because I should warn you that I am not much into hiking." She said as we started off.

"Don't worry. It's just up the trail here. And it's flat the entire way." I assured her. We started on the trail and got to the meadow a few minutes later. I watched her as she took in the sight.

"What do you think?" I asked after a moment.

"It's beautiful. How did you find it?" I shrugged.

"I went for a run one night and came across the trail. You think its pretty now, you should see it at sunset."

"I can't imagine." She was still turning her head, taking in the whole scene. There was a patch of clovers towards the center that I lead her to then unfolded the blanket and spread it on the ground.

"Have a sit while I unpack." I gestured towards the blanket and then busied myself unpacking the cooler. I wasn't exactly sure what kind of food she like so I tried to cover all bases. I had several different kinds of fresh fruit including pineapple, strawberries, cherries, and blackberries and a few different sandwich selections. I also made sure to bring some Gatorade. I figured wine would be a little much on a first date. Or was this the second date?

"I didn't know what kind of stuff you like to eat, so I brought it all."

"I'll say. It's a good thing I'm not a picky eater or you would be eating leftovers for weeks." She said eyeing all of the food I was pulling out of the cooler. We spent the next couple hours talking and laughing. She told me more stories about Emmett and Rose and I told her about my family. Both my parents worked at the local hospital where I lived. My dad was one of the head surgeons, and my mom was a nurse in the pediatrics ward. We talked about how it was for her growing up in Phoenix and then moving to Washington. Before I knew it, the sun was starting to cast shadows around us and I realized what time it was.

"We had better be going. I didn't realize what time it was. Your brother is going to think I kidnapped you and he is really not someone I would want angry at me."

"Surprisingly, he actually seems to like you." At that, I raised an eyebrow and she laughed. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just that, Emmett has never approved of any guy that I have ever dated. He always found something wrong with them. Course, in the end he was usually right. But still, you are the first guy he has ever liked right off the bat."

"_Well, maybe not right off the bat."_ I thought, but wisely kept that comment to myself. No need to let her in on the secret just yet. We got everything packed up and loaded back in the car and were headed back to her house.

"Today was fun. It's nice to have someone else to hang out with besides Emma and Emmett. Don't get me wrong, I love them both to death, but there is only so much spit up one can handle, and Emmett isn't one that handles other peoples bodily fluids well, oddly enough." She said with a laugh. I somehow couldn't imagine Emmett being squeamish, and it was a funny thought.

We reached the house a couple minutes later, we said goodbye and I waited until I saw her unlock and open the door before I put the car back into gear to pull away. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye before I pulled out and turned to see her coming back down the stairs towards me so I rolled down the passenger side window.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" she asked with a blush and I grinned. She was so cute when she blushed.

"I would love to." I put the car back into park and turn off the ignition then followed her inside.

"What are we having?" I asked as she headed towards the kitchen.

"I have no idea."

BPOV

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" _Would you like to stay forever_ was what was really going through my mind which caused me to blush, but I wisely kept that comment to myself.

"I would love to." He turned the car off and got out as I headed back into the house.

"What are we having?" I wracked my brain and couldn't think of a single thing to cook for dinner.

"I have no idea." I started rummaging through the fridge and cupboards and had a flash of genius. Ok not really, but I needed something easy that I didn't have to think about. Having Edward around was doing a serious number on my brain activity. I couldn't seem to help it, but I always seemed to freeze up and blubber when he was near.

"How does fried chicken sound?" I asked to double check.

"Sounds good to me." I went around gathering the ingredients and had the chicken seasoned, breaded and frying by the time Emmett and Rose walked in the house an hour later.

"So what did you two do today?" Rose asked after she set Emma in her stationary jumper toy.

"Edward took me for coffee and then we had a very nice picnic. Which reminds me. Since my date didn't show up, it looks like I get free reign of your clothes and $100, thank you very much." I said with satisfaction.

"Well, actually…" she trailed off and the silence made me turn my head to face the 3 other people in the kitchen. Rose sent a knowing glance between Emmett and Edward. And then it hit me.

"You planned this didn't you?! All 3 of you?! How?" I spun around, the dripping tongs in my hand flinging hot oil all over the counter tops. They all laughed at my outburst even as Edward came up behind me to relieve me of my weapon.

"It was my idea. Rose and I met at a photo shoot my first day here and when she started talking about her family, I remembered what you had said about your brother and his wife and the whole thing just kind of…unfolded from there."

"That is so not cool!" I tried to be mad, but it was just too hard with Edward so close, looking at me with that smile on his face. He came up next to me and kissed my cheek.

"I'll make it up to you for losing the bet. I promise." He whispered in my ear. Yeah, definitely couldn't be angry with that.

Emmett and Edward set the table while Rose grabbed Emma and put her in her highchair. We sat down and started eating a few minutes later.

"So, Emmett, where do you wanna go for vacation?" Rose asked smugly after a few minutes.

"You don't have to rub it in you know. And I don't think it's exactly fair that you both knew I was going to lose the bet from the start anyway." I complained.

"I guess your right. And I really should feel bad about it but I have been waiting for this vacation for months."

"You are heartless, you know that."

"Yep." She grinned at me and the turned to Emmett. "So I was thinking Scotland. Or maybe Greece. What do you think?" I tuned them both out and turned to Edward.

"You had better come up with something really good to make up for me losing the bet, mister." He laughed.

"I'm sure I can come up with something."

"You had better." I huffed and then added, "and if you really want me to forgive you, it should be sparkly."

The rest of the night was mellow compared to the night before. Was it really just last night that we had dinner at the restaurant? It seems like that was ages ago. Before we knew it, Edward was saying he had to go, and I was begging in my mind that he stay just a few more minutes but I walked him to the door anyway.

"Well, I guess this is goodnight. Again." I didn't want to say goodbye. It almost felt to final, like I would wake up tomorrow to find it was all a dream. I ducked my head at those thoughts, but I felt his fingers on my chin pull my face up to meet his deep emerald gaze.

"I'll see you soon. My schedule is a bit hectic for the next few days but I will find time to see you. I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep mister. Good first impressions are key when you are making new friends. I may not forgive you." I said playfully.

"I don't just want to be your friend Bella." He said in all seriousness but before I could reply he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek and then turned and walked down the steps to his car.

"Goodnight Bella." He called before he opened his door and got in. I was still a little dazed but came back to earth in time to wave at his tail lights in the distance.

"Goodnight." I whispered. I stood there for a few moments just watching his car drive off before I was pulled back to reality again. For the third time that day, I got the feeling that someone was watching me and it sent chills down my spine. Maybe I was just paranoid and tired but I scanned the street a second before I turned back into the house and closed and locked the door.


	12. Chapter 12

The next few weeks flew by. The only time I didn't see Edward was when he had a photo shoot or some meeting with his company or client. Otherwise he was always at the house. Not that I was complaining. He and Emmett got along great, which was a pleasant surprise, and Emma was absolutely enthralled with him. Anytime he held or played with her all she would do was star at him with a silly smile. And she loved to play with his hair. Not that I blame her. It took all of my control not to run my fingers through it whenever we were near each other. It just looked so soft.

Sometimes he would come over while both Emmett and Rose were working and we would take Emma on walks around the neighborhood. We had so many people stop and ask us how long we had been together. It was rather embarrassing. Today was one of those days.

"Oh will you just look at that adorable little baby!" an elderly woman exclaimed in a thick German accent to her husband sitting next to her on a bench in the park. Edward and I both paused for a moment as the woman cooed into the stroller at Emma, who was oblivious to the attention as she was grinning up at Edward as was her usual. After a moment the woman turned her attention to me as Edward bent down to tickle Emma's nose, causing her to giggle.

"She is absolutely beautiful. Are you planning on having more children?" she asked us.

"Oh, no. She's not ours. This is my niece." I informed her as I felt my face heat.

"Oh she is so beautiful, I just assumed. Are you planning on having any children of your own? I can tell you would make wonderful parents." she said next and I felt my blush deepen even more. Edward answered her this time.

"We're not married." He told them and glanced at me with a smile and winked. "Yet. But she is beautiful, isn't she?" With the way he was looking at me, I got the impression though that he wasn't referring to Emma right at that moment. I just stared at him as he said goodbye to the couple and commandeered the stroller. As we walked away, I heard the woman behind us whisper to her husband.

"Aren't they delightful? They remind me of us when we were younger." I turned around in time to see the man smile and lean in to give his wife a short sweet kiss.

After we came home and had Emma settled in her crib for a nap, I thought back on what the woman said as I glanced up at Edward sitting next to me on the couch, his arm resting behind me and snuggled a little closer thinking on how right she was. Edward would make a great father. He was absolutely wonderful with Emma. His arm tightened around my shoulders slightly and I grinned to myself thinking how much I loved this man.

Wow, did I just say that. I was probably getting a little ahead of myself and our relationship but when I thought about it, I realized it was absolutely true. Somewhere along the line I had fallen in love with Edward Cullen.

"What's wrong?" he whispered in my ear and I jumped slightly. "You went stiff all of the sudden." How was I supposed to act around him now that I cat come to this revelation, and then I realized it didn't matter. If I really thought about it, I had felt this way for a while and that thought made me smile.

"Now what would that smile be for?" he asked teasingly.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"I would. Do share." He coaxed but I shook my head.

"Hmm. I see I will have to torture it out of you then." I say the look on his face and scooted away quickly, standing just out of his reach.

"Don't you dare." I warned and the look on his face turned just a little to innocent as he stood too.

"I wasn't going to do anything, Bella. I don't know what you're talking about." He came towards me then and I backed around the couch.

"Yeah, and I'm Wonder Woman." He paused a moment and then nodded.

"I'll have to keep that in mind." He said and then resumed his stalking with a determined smirk on his face.

"You stay right where you are Edward. I am warning you." I pointed at him in emphasis and his smirk became just a bit mischievous as he continued around the back of the couch, me in full retreat. He stopped and took in the couch between us then turned back to me.

"Perhaps an arrangement can be reached." He suggested.

"There will be no arrangement." With that statement he grinned and continued.

"But if there can be no arrangement than we are at an impasse."

"I'm afraid so. I can't compete with you physically and you're no match for my brains." I smiled to myself as I played along.

You're that smart?"

"Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?"

"Yes."

"Morons."

"Really. In that case I challenge you to a battle of wits." He seemed to contemplate something for a moment then flashed me one of his dazzling smiles that always seemed to turn my knees to jelly.

"On second thought…" he said and I barely had time to register what was going on as he vaulted the couch one handed and tackled me. The next thing I knew, I was on my back on the living room floor my hands pinned next to my head as Edward grinned triumphantly down at me.

"I do believe you are trapped my dear. Surrender." He growled theatrically and I squirmed trying to wriggle free.

"Never." I retorted defiantly. He just grinned.

"Have it your way." He said as he took both of my hands in one of his and trapped them above my head, his other hand going to my waist as he started tickling me unrepentantly.

"Edward, stop. You're going to wake Emma up!" I exclaimed between squirms and laughs.

"Likely excuse." He said all to pleased with himself as he stopped the assault on my ribs. However he still had me pinned to the ground and the look he was giving me took my breath away. My gaze locked with his and we laid there for a moment, neither of us able to look away. I couldn't move as his head slowly lowered towards mine and I closed my eyes as his mouth brushed mine hesitantly.

And then all of the sudden Emmett was there, announcing his presence with the banging of the front door.

"Honey, I'm home!" he shouted as Edward and I scrambled off the floor just before he came around the corner. "There you are. I brought dinner." He said holding up a bag of what, from here, smelled like Chinese. Where in the world he found Chinese, I have no idea.

"So what did you guys do today?" for some reason, the way he said it made me blush. Thankfully Emma saved us from any embarrassment as her cry came from the back of the house.

"I got her." Emmett immediately leapt down the hall and came back a few minutes later with a fussy little girl.

"She's probably hungry. She didn't eat much before her nap." I told him and he headed to the kitchen to get her bottle ready. We both stood there awkwardly for a moment.

"I'm sorry. He always does that." I started to say.

"It's ok. I should probably go anyways. I have that shoot tomorrow morning." He said running a hand through his hair, drawing my attention.

"Oh, right. Your shoot." I said mentally shaking myself from my daydreams. "Sorry. I spaced out for a second. I'll uh, I'll see you to-tomorrow?" I checked, for some reason a little embarrassed over what Emmett interrupted earlier. My insecurity must have shown though, because he stepped towards me suddenly, one hand slipping around my waist, the other cupping my neck. This time he didn't hesitate as he kissed me, his lips soft and gentle against mine.

"Wow." Was all I could say once we broke apart and he rested his forehead on mine.

"Does that answer your question?" I nodded.

"I really should get going." He said after a moment. "I'll see you tomorrow night." I nodded, not sure I could speak just yet. I walked him to the door and we stood on the front step for a few seconds before my voice decided to work again.

"Goodnight." I said a little breathlessly and he smiled and trailed little kisses on my forehead down my cheek and then lingeringly, on my lips.

"Goodnight love." He whispered and then headed for his car. I hardly remembered the rest of my night.

The next morning I woke up to my cell phone blaring on the bedside table. I fumbled it off the table and didn't check the caller id before I answered groggily.

"Ello?"

"Wakey wakey, Bella! I have a surprise for you today!"

"Rose, what on earth? It's…" I checked the clock on my phone. "It's 5:30 in the morning are you insane?"

"I know you aren't much of a morning person, but you'll thank me in the end. Now get up! I want you downstairs in 30 minutes." I could hear her through the phone but also from down the hallway so I hung up and yelled at her.

"Did you seriously call me from literally 20 feet down the hall?"

"Yes, I did and I've already had my first cup of coffee for the day so up and at em." I groaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow on top of my head. "And don't make me have to send Emmett in there." She threatened. That got me up. Knowing Emmett, he would dump a bucket of ice water on me or something equally unpleasant.

"You're a cruel woman."

"Stop whining and get in the shower. I wasn't kidding about the 30 minutes. And you won't need to worry about your hair where we're going, so just throw it in a ponytail when you're done."

"Where are we going?" I called as I made my way slowly to the bathroom.

"I told you it's a surprise. Now hurry up only 25 minutes left. I will drag you out of the shower as is, don't think I won't." and knowing Rose, she would so I made sure to make it a quick one. I got out and dressed in record time, and threw my hair in a messy bun with a headband. Despite my best efforts, even in a ponytail my hair frizzed.

I grabbed a cup of coffee just in time to be whisked into the car.

"Ok seriously Rose, where on earth are we going at this ungodly hour?"

"Stop asking, I'm not going to tell you." a few minutes later, we pulled up to what looked like a nondescript warehouse with a parking lot full of cars. We got out and I followed Rose as she headed to a small door on the side. I followed her through and froze.

"You," I turned to glare at her, "You are a cruel, cruel woman."


	13. Chapter 13

**.***I want to just say now that I hope I don't offend anyone with some of the comments in this chapter, I am just expressing how I might react if I was in that particular position.*****

BPOV

What I saw inside could only be described as pandemonium. Very loosely controlled pandemonium. There were people running around everywhere with anything from what I assume were set pieces and ladders to camera equipment to hairspray doing who knows what. There were both male and female models dashing around in nothing but underwear bras robes and for most of the girls 4" inch stiletto heels. How they didn't kill themselves is beyond me.

There were a few people with mega phones barking orders at anyone within hearing range (which was pretty much everyone) and in the midst of all the chaos was Edward, and I was a little less angry with rose. Don't get me wrong. I was still pissed. I had no idea why she had brought me with her and the only reason that I could come up with had me mortified, but seeing Edward made it a little less painful. I finally took my eyes off him long enough to see that he was arguing with some blonde. or rather he was arguing and she was refusing to listen all while her robe, which was not tied as tightly as it should have been in my opinion, hung loosely off her shoulders exposing her Pepto-Bismol colored bra and a little to perfect boobs. What really made me fume though was the way she was positioning herself in front of him, obviously hoping to distract him. After another minute or so she finally gave up and stomped away and I heaved a sigh of relief that I wouldn't have to break her leg or something drastic like that. I have no idea where this possessive streak came from, but Edward was mine and no snobby size 2 was going to take him away from me.

I watched him exhale a deep breath and take off his glasses which he only wore when he was taking photographs (he usually wears contacts otherwise, which was a shame in my opinion. he's just to cute when he wears his glasses) and rub the bridge of his nose. I decided to have a little fun. I caught Rose's eye and motioned to her where I was going, and then sneaking up behind him, I did the same thing to him that he did to me in the restaurant, quickly covering his eyes with my hands and felt him go stiff.

"I don't know who this is, but I'm really not in the mood for anymore surprises." obviously he'd had a not so fun morning so I decided to go easy on him.

"Not even from me?" I giggled behind him.

"Bella!" he swiftly turned around and grabbed me in a bear hug. "What are you doing here? I thought I wasn't going to see you till tonight. Not that I am complaining." he grinned.

"It was Rose." I said and made a face. "she woke me up at the butt-crack of dawn threatening to sick Emmett on me of I wasn't out of bed and ready to go in 30 minutes, but she wouldn't tell me where we were going. So here I am."

"I'll have to thank her. This is by far the best surprise I've had today." he said with a flinch.

"Rough morning?"

"You have no idea. Everything that could possible go wrong, has. One of the light fixtures broke, someone forgot to get the deliver conformation on the backdrop, so we are having to improvise. One of the other photographers called in sick. And the models are being impossible. Sometimes, I really hate my job." Edward sighed and shook his head.

"Ah, but with out this job, you never would have met me." I said with a grin and a wink.

"Which is the one reason I am forever thankful I chose to be a photographer and not a doctor." he said and finally kissed me. Took him long enough. Unfortunately it didn't last long as a couple of tall leggy models clothed similarly to the blonde from earlier, pranced over and very rudely interrupted.

"who's your friend Eddie?" the brunette asked in a horrible nasally voice, and I saw Edwards eyes narrow just the slightest bit, as he turned towards them, keeping his arm tightly around my waist.

"Lauren, Jessica this is my girlfriend Bella. Bella, these are some of the models that I work with. Lauren and Jessica." he said indicating who belonged to what name. Although to me they could just be top and bottom 1 & 2.

"Nice to meet you." I said and offered my hand but all they did was glare and turn back to Edward.

"You didn't tell us you were seeing anyone, Eddie. I'm not surprised that we haven't met her before though. She is _obviously_ not a model. I mean just look at her." Lauren who I dubbed T&B 1 sneered to her friend completely ignoring the fact that I was standing right there, and that usually dormant temper that I have flared to life. I don't know what I did to them, but no one talks to me like that.

"If by that you mean I'm secure enough with my body that I don't starve myself to get rid of those stubborn muffin tops that just don't seem to go away." I said, gesturing towards the both of them, "Then I will take that as a compliment. Thank you." they both gasped, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Edward trying hard not to laugh and not quite succeeding.

"Who do you think you are?" T&B 2 asked loudly, outraged.

"She happens to be my sister." Rose came out of nowhere and announced with a note of steel in her voice causing both girls to visible flinch and stumble backwards.

"Oh, um. Sorry Rose. We didn't realize you were back."

"If you 2 had bothered to check in with your agents, and not spend your time getting wasted bars, you would have known that I've been back for sometime now."

"We had better get back to hair and makeup." they said and then made a hasty retreat, tripping over each other in their 4 inch heels.

"All the makeup in the world isn't going to help those 2. Someone should do them a favor and run them over with a bus." I muttered offhand once they were out of earshot and Edward could no longer control his laughter as he hugged me to him tightly.

"I knew there was a reason I loved you." and with that bombshell revelation out in the open, he was whisked away by someone with a laminated nametag, leaving me with my mouth hanging open in a probably most unattractive way.

"You ok there?" Rose asked from somewhere around me. "Cause if you don't close your mouth soon, you're gonna start drooling and I don't have a bucket on hand." I closed my mouth and turned to glared at her some more.

"That's better. Now come with me." she said dragging my by my arm and planting me none so gently in a padded chair seated in front of a huge mirror. "Now sit still. This is Angela and she is going to do your hair and makeup."

"Why?"

"Because, Bella. You are the first contestant my new show "Model for a day."

"Are you kidding me?!" I squawked at her vehemently, near panic.

"Yes. At least about the part about me having my own show. But I am treating you to my personal hair and makeup artist and then we are going to head over to wardrobe."

"You are gonna get your comeuppance Rosalie Hale. You are soo dead after this." she just laughed and waltzed off.

Angela caught my gaze in the mirror a moment later.

"Ready?"

"Oh, I am so not." I groaned.

EPOV

This was by far one of the worst shoots that I have ever had to work since becoming a photographer. Not one of the new crew techs could do anything right but they wouldn't listen to the people who had been doing this for years and my German wasn't good enough for me to yell and cuss them out. It was like working with a bunch of untrained monkeys. And don't get me started on the models. All of them used to flirt with me in the past, but word must have spread about Bella, because between shoots I was constantly bombarded by Paris Hilton wanna-bee's asking the same stupid questions. _Who is she? How did you meet? How long have you been dating? Is it serious?_ Oh, and my personal favorite, _what does she have that I don't have?_ Well, let me see. Do you have a couple years because that's about how long it would take to describe how wonderful Bella was compared to these bimbos. Wisely though I kept all such my comments to myself.

Where was Bella anyways? I hadn't talked to her since this morning before Andreas assistant pulled me away. I had caught glimpses of her throughout the day but she always disappeared when I turned my head to get a second look. I didn't have much time to think on it while I was shooting, but we had finally got an actual real break and the one person I wanted to see, I couldn't find anywhere. I spotted Rose across the room and made my way over to here.

"Hey," she greeted when I was close enough to hear her above all the noise. "How is the shoot coming?"

"It's good. Some of the models are being a little difficult though. Have you seen Bella?"

"And here I thought you actually wanted to talk to me. What was I thinking?" she grinned unrepentantly at me. I laughed, feeling sheepish.

"Sorry. How has your day been Rose?"

"Don't pretend you're interested in my insignificant life." She said with a laugh. "I'm not sure where Bella is. She has been hiding all morning."

"Why?" I asked, puzzled, and Rose grinned even bigger.

"When you find her, you'll see. Bella has never been one to draw attention to herself. Check somewhere around wardrobe that's where I saw her last." She suggested.

"Thanks Rose." I gave her a quick wave as I headed off in that direction. I got there and searched for several minutes there and when I still couldn't find her I decided to ask someone.

"Excuse me?" I asked the first girl I saw who didn't look like she would throw herself at me like most of the models had today. Her laminated pass said Angela.

"Yes?" she seemed a little surprised that I was talking to her.

"Have you seen a girl around here about 5'6" brown hair, came with Rosalie Hale." With that she grinned.

"Ah, Bella. I do believe that she dashed behind the clothing racks about the time you came over." She whispered to me and gestured with her head towards the racks.

"Thanks." I mouthed and made my way towards them. When I got a little closer, I could see some clothes moving and if that weren't enough proof that someone was behind the clothes, the feet poking out from under the rack was a dead giveaway. Bella was hiding from me.

"I know you're back there Bella. No point in hiding now." I said as I started parting clothes.

"Go away." she said her voice panicky. I don't know what set her off, but if anyone laid a hand on her or did anything to hurt her I would have their head on a platter. I tried to keep my voice calm as I talked to here though.

"I haven't seen you all morning. Why won't you come out?"

"It's embarrassing." This made no sense to me, but I pinpointed where her voice was coming from and made my way over to that section of the rack.

"Please come out."

"I look absolutely ridiculous. I feel like a freakin Barbie doll."

"It can't be that bad Bella. I'll come back there and drag you out if I have to." I threatened and it did the trick.

"Fine." she huffed and nothing prepared me for what I saw when the clothes on the rack parted, revealing Bella.

My mouth hung open but I'm not sure what I had started to say because the words died in my throat. The Bella standing before me was…stunning, ravishing, enchanting, captivating. Those were the only words I could think of in my state of mind and they didn't even come remotely close to describing just how beautiful Bella looked.

Her hair was pulled back in a simple bun with loosely pinned in curls and flowers. And the dress. _Wow_. The dress was made for Bella. It was a wedding style dress with a fitted bodice and a skirt with small gathers covering the whole of it **(pictures in profile)**. I watched as she blushed and that just added to the appeal of the vision in front of me. All I could do was stare.

"I knew it. You don't like it. I'll go change." She said after a moment and started to turn away, obviously upset. That brought me out of my fog, and I grabbed her arm swiftly.

"Bella…" I started to say but words still weren't forming. Instead, I just pulled her as close as possible and kissed her.

"Bella you…you look amazing." Is all I could say once we broke apart. She blushed again.

"I feel so…I don't know…so out of place and awkward. I can't believe I let Rose do this to me." She gestured helplessly.

"There is no reason for you to feel awkward. You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen or met in my entire life." I assured her. One of her loose curl strands fell in her face as she ducked her head and I brushed it behind her ear as I pulled her face up again to look at me.

"Really?" she smiled hesitantly. I grinned back down at her.

"Definitely. And you know what else?" I said, taking her hand firmly and pulling her away from the clothes racks. "I think we need some pictures."

"No! No pictures!" she protested, tugging on the hand I had a hold of and dragging her feet.

"Come on Bella. It will be fine, I promise."

"Haven't we had this discussion before?" she said, still fighting me.

"If you keep fighting me, I'm gonna pick you up and carry you. On second thought," I paused for a moment. "You can fight all you want." I said and grinned at her.

"Fine. It's not fair when you do that, you know." She huffed in defeat. I was confused.

"Do what?"

Dazzle people like that. Especially me. It makes me want to agree to anything."

"I dazzle you?"

"Frequently."

"Huh. Interesting." I would have to think on that later. But for now I needed to check and see if it was ok if I left for a bit.

"Hey, Eric." I called across the floor to my boss under Ellen. "Think we can clear the set for a couple minutes."

"No good, man. But I think they are done with set 6 out back if you wanna use it. Just make sure you're back in time the finish your shoot."

"Can do, boss. Thanks." I grabbed my camera and a couple different lenses put them in a bag and headed to the back lot. I momentarily wondered what they were shooting on 6 as I continued to pull a protesting Bella behind me, but one look at her and I didn't care. As long as I could preserve this moment, this Bella, I didn't care about anything else. I stopped long enough to pull her against me for a quick kiss, but once she was there I just couldn't let go of her so I picked her up, holding her close to against my chest.

"I thought you were only going to pick me up if I fought you." she teased between kisses and I smiled to myself.

"I lied."

"Uh huh. Just don't ruin the dress." She warned. Not likely. I was so buying this dress after the shoot. We made it to the set and I hit the lights on the switchboard to illuminate everything. The set backdrop was a beach scene with palm trees and rose petals on the sand.

"Wow. It actually looks like a real beach." She sounded slightly amazed and I laughed.

"That's kind of the point." I said getting set up. I had nixed the tripod. It was just too bulky to deal with. I preferred not shooting stationary. Being able to move with the model makes everything so much more natural and graceful. The tripod was just to restricting. I grabbed the lens I wanted and checked my memory card. There were only a few photos from the shoot on it.

"I can't believe you are making me do this." Bella commented from behind me.

"I'm ready. Smile." I said started clicking pictures and after a few minutes, Bella actually started to enjoy it, twirling and posing peeking out from behind the fake palm trees and grabbing handfuls of the rose petals on the sand and throwing them in the air. I laughed at some of her antics.

"Are you going to join me in some of these?" she asked after a while and I actually regretted not bringing the tripod. They probably had one floating around here somewhere but I didn't want to search for it and we had to get back anyways.

"Ready to go?" I asked, packing up the camera bag and pocketing the memory card. I was definitely going to have some fun with those photos when I got them printed out.

"Already?" she expressed her disappointment. "I was having fun."

"I told you, didn't I? But no, you had to be all stubborn about it and not believe me."

"I'm sorry I doubted you." she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me.

"As much as I would rather stay here, if I don't go back there I am going to have some very angry clients on my hands." I told her.

"If anything happens, you can just flash them that dazzling smile of your."

"Do I really do that?" I asked and she laughed. I honestly wanted to know. We were walking back, my arm around her waist.

"You really don't know the effect you have on people? Do you think everyone gets there way so easily?" I shrugged, still confused and feeling slightly helpless and she laughed again. We made the rest of the way in silence until Rose came out of nowhere and pulled both of us behind some big lighting equipment.

"What the heck, Rose? What's going on?" Bella asked her in a whisper, but she turned to me with her answer.

"Victoria is looking for you and she is totally pissed. I don't know what you did to her but I wanted to give you some warning." Great, just what I needed. Victoria was our veteran model. Besides Rose, she was the only other model that had been here for more than a couple years, and the minute I met her, I wondered how she made it that long. She was impossible to get along with and never listened. I thought today was bad, it was nothing compared to Victoria on one of her good days. The last I had heard, she was on vacation with her newest boy-toy but apparently that wasn't the case anymore.

"Do you know what she wants?" Rose shook her head.

"She hasn't talked to anyone since she got here except Eric and that was to tell him that she was mad and wanted to talk to you and only you."

"I guess I'll go see what she wants." I turned to Bella and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. "I'll see you after the shoots over." Then I pulled Rose aside for a moment. "You make sure that Victoria doesn't come anywhere near Bella, Rose. Promise me. She would eat her alive."

"No worries. We gotcha covered." I wondered at the "we" but at that moment a screech came across the warehouse and Victoria with her flaming red hair was hard to miss as she was headed straight for me like a heat seeking missile.

"Edward Cullen!"

"Victoria," I greeted her when she was in earshot. "I didn't know you were back. What can I do for you?"

"Don't you dare act like you don't know what is going on! I was canceled from the _Chanel_ shoot based on of your recommendations!"

"I didn't think that it was the right shoot for you. They are very particular about their ads and models."

"It wasn't your decision!"

"It was my decision, as senior photographer and consultant for the shoot itself."

"To hell it was! Put me back on!" she was gesturing wildly with her arms, nearly hitting people who were walking by a little to close.

"I am going to continue putting you on the minor shoots until you can start working well other people and not treating them like dirt under your shoe." I told her honestly, and her face flashed about as red as her hair.

"You!..." she started to say something but changed her mind. She was so angry I didn't have time to register or block the slap she aimed at my face, and the next second my cheek was on fire. She hit harder than airplane Mike.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" an enraged voice came from behind me and I hardly recognized Bella as she came storming up to confront Victoria.

"Bella, it's alright love." I grabbed her around the waist to stop her. She hadn't changed yet and was still in the wedding dress Rose had put her in earlier.

"No it's not! She has no right to treat you like that."

"And who is this nosy, weaseling little slut?" Victoria commented disdainfully, eyeing Bella with her arms crossed and the look of rage that crossed Bella's face made even me want to cringe.

"You're calling me a tramp? I'm not even a model, and even I know about all of your boyfriends and pregnancy scares and you have the nerve to call me a weaseling slut. And since Edward would never hit a woman, even one such as yourself, I'll just have to do it for him." And with that said, she fisted her hand and drove it straight into Victoria's plastic nose.

"You broke my nose!" Victoria wailed as blood trailed down her face.

"If you don't leave, it's not going to be the only thing that's broken." Bella threatened and I actually believed she might follow through with it. This possessiveness was a side of her I had never seen before, but I kind of liked it.

"This isn't over!" Victoria yelled as she turned and stomped off. When she was gone I turned to Bella as she shook her hand out.

"Are you alright?" she asked and I had to laugh.

"I should be asking you that. How is your hand." She winced as I took it in my hand started to massage it.

"Well, it's not broken, but it's definitely going to be sore for a couple days."

"Really? Cause it sure feels broken." I smiled at her.

"I was going to be a doctor, remember." I told her, still checking over her hand. "You throw a punch pretty well. I'm impressed."

"I grew up with Emmett as a brother, what did you expect." I hadn't thought about that.

"Are you sure you're ok?" I checked again. She nodded.

"I'll be fine. But I think I'm going to go get some ice for this. When are you going to be done?"

"It shouldn't take too much longer. Maybe and hour or so."

"Ok." Before she could walk away I wrapped my arms around her in a possessive hug.

"You are amazing, you know that?" I whispered in her ear.

"Right back atcha, babe." She grinned before she walked off. This girl was definitely going to be the death of me. The rest of the shoot was uneventful and Victoria didn't make a second appearance, thank goodness. It wasn't long before I was bagging up my equipment and getting ready to head out. Rose and Bella were waiting for my by the exit.

"Glad it's over?" Rose asked. I heaved a huge sigh of relief.

"You have no idea. What happened to keeping Bella away from Victoria, by the way?" I asked as I slipped my arm around Bella.

"Oh, Angela and I were doing just fine distracting her until she heard that tramp slap you and then there was no stopping her. Believe me, I've never seen her that angry before." I looked down at Bella and grinned as she blushed. We made our way over to my car but when I looked up, I stopped dead.

"This is so not happening."

**Ok so it took me a little longer to get this up than I thought but I just couldn't stop lol. I had to find a specific place to cut it off otherwise I would have just kept going. No guarantees on when the next chapter will be up, but I'll do my best. **


	14. AN Matchmaking Flight

So this is something that I found online that I had to share with you guys. Air New Zealand just announced the first Matchmaking Flight. It's for singles only and it has different packages you can buy and events and stuff. Anyways I just thought it was funny cause my story started out on a plane lol. So here's the link. I'm gonna post it on my profile too just cause I can.

.com/


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**BPOV**

I watched Edward grimace and pinch the bridge of his nose under his glasses as his jaw clenched, and a wave of red hot fury shot through me at the person that did this to him. His car was demolished. That was the only way to describe it. Ever single window was shattered, their glass littering the ground like taunting crystals. His tires had been slashed, along with the leather interior. The dashboard was ripped entirely apart wires hanging everywhere, the steering wheel was in the _backseat_ and it looked like someone had taken a sludge hammer to the rest of the car. I barely recognized it except for the fact that it was silver, and even that was debatable at this stage. It was like it had been run over by a monster truck.

I wondered how something like this could happen in broad daylight but looked around. We were surrounded by warehouses only some of which were in use, the others with boards and plastic covering the windows. With that and the fact that we were outside of town a bit, and everyone who could have seen anything had been inside for the shoot for several hours, it probably wasn't that hard.

I called Emmett who came and picked up a fuming Rose while Edward called his insurance company and then we waited for the tow. After a few minutes of silence as he continued to circle his car, I was unsure whether I should stay or not.

"Maybe I should go…" I suggested halfheartedly and his head shot up as he came around the car and hugged me to him.

"Please don't leave. I need you right now." He murmured in my hair and my heart melted.

"I'm not going anywhere. You just try to get rid of me and see what happens." I pulled back, smiling into his face and the tension lines in his forehead gradually faded.

"I love you." he told me with a grin. I pretended to contemplate it.

"Hmm. Yes I do vaguely remember you mentioning something of the sort earlier today but I can't be sure."

"Well, then let me set your mind at ease. I love you, Bella Swan."

"Of course you do. What's not to love?" I said and his grin got bigger.

"Isn't there something you want to tell me?" he prompted.

"Um, I love what you've done with your car?" at the he roared with laughter.

"I can't believe you found a way to tease me about this and make me laugh." I shrugged.

"What can I say? It's a gift." The tow truck arrived at that point and we were tied up giving statements and getting rough estimates on the damages.

"Someone did a real number on this baby. It would probably be easier to just get a new car." The driver informed us. "You need a ride to the rental lot?"

"I can take him. No worries."

"Alright then. Your insurance agent should be contacting you in the next couple days."

"Thank you." Edward said as they shook hands. The driver nodded in my direction and then climbed up in the cab and headed off.

"So where's this car rental place." I asked.

"Right now I could care less. I just want to go home." He informed me and I headed that way, him giving me directions. For all of the time that we had spent together, I had never been to his house.

It was a small house but it suited him well. The front lawn was neatly manicured with a few shrubs and a small gravel driveway that I followed around to the back of the house. The house itself was one story; a very light blue with navy trim and white doors. I loved it. The inside of the house however, would have to wait as there was a yellow Porsche parked in the driveway.

"Alice," he groaned, banging his head once on the back of the passenger seat. "Has to be. Only she would drive a rental car that ostentatious. I so don't want to deal this right now." I only had a moment to question his reaction to his sisters' arrival, because a small form with black hair came streaking out of the house to attack him as he got out of the car.

"EDWARD!" she screamed in his ear as she shoved him back into the car with the force of her hug.

"Alice, how did you get into my house?"

"Well, hello to you to Mr. Grumpy pants." She said, hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry Alice. I haven't had the best day. How are you?"

"I'm great. And to answer your first question, I spotted that frog a mile away. You seriously need to get another hiding spot for your key."

"I'll keep that in mind. Bella this is my crazy, eccentric little sister Alice. Alice, this is Bella, my girlfriend."

"Ah-ha, so this is the amazing Bella that we have heard so much about." She grinned and grabbed me in a bear hug, which coming from her probably 4 ft. 10 in. form was quite impressive.

I squeaked out a "Hi" before Edward cut in.

"Alice, let her breath. Geez." She had the grace to look sheepish as she let me go and I took a deep breath.

"Sorry. I'm just excited to finally be meeting you. Edward has told us so much about you." she grinned as I blushed and threw a questioning glance his way.

"What? It's not like the flight was all that interesting. What was I supposed to say when they asked 'Edward how was your flight?'." He replied with a grin and a wink using my words from that first night at the restaurant and then turned towards his sister.

"So are you going to let me in my own house, or keep us standing here all night?" it was more of a statement than a question as he pushed past her into the house, not waiting for what I can assume would be a sassy answer.

"So what brings you all this way Allie? he asked her once we were comfortably settled inside. "Besides the fact that you missed your wonderful, charming, brilliant big brother?" She smacked the back of his head as he sat and I knew in that instant that she would get along fabulously with Rose.

"Only you think you are oh-so-wonderful, _little_ brother." She retorted, a definite emphasis on little. "I commend Bella on putting up with you for so long. I don't know how she does it. As for why I am here, I have something extremely important to tell you."

"You couldn't just pick up a phone?" he questioned and she glared at him.

"One does not simply pick up the phone for such a thing, Edward Cullen. This is a very serious matter." Edward and I were surprised to hear a snort come from the other room.

"Allie, who else is here?" his question was answered a moment later when a tall blonde man came to stand in the doorway to what looked like the kitchen, a beer in hand.

"Don't look at me man, it was all her. She made me promise to stay hidden and you know how she gets." Edward got up from his place next to me on the couch and crossed the room to embrace the newcomer in a quick, manly hug.

"Jasper, man how are you?" introductions were made and by the look on both Jasper and Alice's face and the way they were holding onto each other, I knew where this was going and I couldn't help but be excited, though I hardly knew either of them.

"Congratulations!" I told them, getting up to hug them both. Edward was absolutely clueless.

"Bella, what on earth are you talking about?" Alice started laughing and then presented the hand that she had been subtly hiding.

"We're getting married!" Edward looked slightly stunned but recovered quickly, grabbing Alice in a hug and spinning her in a circle.

"How…What…" he couldn't seem to settle on just one question. "Do mom and dad know?"

"Of course they know, silly. Who do you think bought us the tickets to fly over here?"

"When did this happen? Tell me everything." He was just as bad as a girl, demanding every detail, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"We have to celebrate. Dinner on me tonight." He turned to me. "Bella, you have to come."

"I'll have to see if Rose and Emmett made any plans tonight."

"That's cool. In fact, why don't you invite them along. The more the merrier." I looked at him disbelieving.

"Edward you can't be serious? You can't go inviting strange people to someone else's wedding celebration. They don't even know each other."

"Believe me when I say it doesn't matter. It's been Allies life long goal to meet everyone on the planet." He teased, but I looked to her for confirmation.

"Are you sure that's alright?" she grinned.

"You can never have to many people at a celebration." So I called Rose to relay the invitation and she seemed actually quite excited to meet Edward's sister, so everyone agreed to meet up at 7:30 at the restaurant, giving me plenty of time to head home and change.

I felt a moments de-ja-vu, though, when Rose, Emmett and I arrived and were seated. Edward, Alice, and Jasper were already at the table when Rose completely lost it.

"Oh. My. Gosh! Alice? Alice Cullen, is that really you?!"

"Rosie!" Alice exclaimed and was out of her seat like a bullet, racing around the table to hug Rose. "I can't believe it! What are you doing here?!"

"What am I doing here? I live here. What are you doing here?" it was hard to understand exactly what they were saying, what with the squealing and laughing and oh-my-goshing.

"I'm visiting my brother and his girlfriend." She gestured toward Edward who was now standing with his arm around me, and then it finally seemed to register that I had come in with Rose.

"Wait a second. How do you know Bella?" she was mildly bewildered and Rose laughed.

"Bella is my sister. Well sister-in-law. You remember Emmett right?"

"Of course. How could I forget the teddy bear." She remarked and Emmett blushed. Actually blushed.

"And how exactly do you two know each other?" Someone finally asked. I was curious as well. Alice started gesturing wildly again in excitement.

"You remember that semester of college I took like 3 years ago?" she checked with Edward. He nodded.

"How could I forget. That was like 20 thousand dollars down the drain." He said without humor and she made a face.

"Oh, hush you. Anyways Rose was my roommate. This is so cool!" with that she went back to squealing and I was about to ask Edward or the waiter for some earplugs when Jasper suggested that maybe we should take our seats, as people were starting to stare.

The rest of the introductions were made, and the squealing escalated yet again when Alice introduced Jasper as her soon-to-be husband. Things _finally_ settled down after that and the rest of the evening was actually quite nice as everyone talked and Alice and Rose got reacquainted. Before I knew it Edward was paying the bill and everyone was gathering their things and getting ready to leave. Edward had come with Alice and Jasper, for obvious reasons which meant I would have to say goodbye now instead of later.

"So, I guess I'll see you later." I told him as he walked me to the car.

"Alice wants us all to hang out tomorrow. That work for you?"

"Sure. Do you want me to pick you up?" I checked cautiously. He probably hated the reminder of what had happened to his car.

"No worries. Alice and Jasper are staying with me, so I can snag a ride with them. See you tomorrow, love." He kissed me goodnight and headed off in the direction of Alice's car. I watched him go then leaned my head against the seat and sighed at the loss of his mouth on mine. Emmett just laughed from the front seat.

"Oh, baby sis. You've got it bad." Usually his teasing sent me into tirades of denial, but I really couldn't argue with him there.

"You know Emmy," I said happily. "I think you might be right."


	16. Chapter 15

_Ok, so this would have been up like 2 weeks ago but I got sick and I've been house sitting and they didn't have internet access, which almost drove me crazy. They did however have direct tv which made up for the no internet thing because I got to catch up on the old school cartoons that I used to watch on Disney channel that they don't air anymore like Gargoyles and the original X-Men. Cartoons just aren't the same anymore if you ask me. Anyways, I now have internet access again, so this is for all of you devoted readers out there that keep reading and review._

_And on that note, I would like to humbly apologize because I have been absolutely horrendously awful about replying to reviews. You all are totally awesome for 1) taking the time to read my story in the first place and actually liking it lol and 2) for taking the extra time to review and let me know what you think and giving me pointers and critiques. So thank you so much and I will try and be better and replying._

_And now without further ado…_

**Chapter 15**

**EPOV**

It took close to a week and a half to get everything settled with the insurance company and body shop but they were finally able to tell me what I really didn't want to hear. My poor baby was beyond hope. The damage was so extensive they couldn't even salvage the engine for parts. I had been driving a non-descript rental for the last several days but it was getting to be too expensive and I knew that I was going to have to buy a new car soon. Until then I was just going to have to deal with bumming rides off of people or paying the equivalent of $85 dollars a day for a sedan that, although it ran great, was not a good first impression when meeting with potential clients.

I was on my way to pick up Bella for dinner when I saw it. if I hadn't been driving, I would have stopped and stared. I knew that they had been released in the US but I hadn't seen any here, even at the rental lot. It was a metallic black 2009 Dodge Challenger and let me tell you it was so much cooler than the new Charger, Mustang, Even the new Camaro. It positively purred as it rolled by, and I couldn't help but give a giant grin and wave to the proud owner. I made a decision then and there to find one for myself. And soon.

My phone vibrating in my pocket brought me out of my musings and I answered without looking at the caller id.

"Cullen."

"Edward?" Bella's questioning voice came through the earpiece, but she was…off.

"Hey sweetheart. What's up? I am almost to your house."

"I can't make it tonight. Something came up. I'm sorry." She sounded different, but I couldn't put my finger on why. I tried not to voice my concern, though. Maybe it was nothing.

"No worries, love. Anything I can do?"

"No, I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow?" she tried to cover a yawn but I heard it none-the-less.

"Sure thing. I love you."

"Love you to." She hung up without saying goodbye and I immediately called Rose.

"Wow, you're quick on the draw." She said by way of greeting, which made me chuckle.

"I take it, then, that you are home with Bella?"

"Yes, and don't listen a word she says. She's running a small fever but there's something else wrong. I have never seen her this upset, even when she's sick. She has been mumbling and tossing and turning in her sleep all day. She woke up just long enough to call you and then promptly keeled over like the dead.

"I'm almost there." I reassured her and she heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank you Edward." I was knocking on the door a few minutes later. The door was ripped open and Rose grabbed me in a huge one armed hug, Emma squawking from the other arm.

"You are a lifesaver." She threw over her shoulder as we headed up the stairs. "Emma started crying, and I think it upset her more because she started mumbling again." I opened her door and saw her curled tightly around a pillow, her brow creased in tension and unrest, her eyes shifting under her eyelids. I grabbed her computer chair and pulled it close to the bed. I brushed a strand of hair away from her face so I could lay my hand on her cheek and she immediately relaxed and leaned towards my touch.

"Edward." She sighed in her sleep and her grip on the pillow loosened.

"I'm here, sweetheart. Get some sleep. I'm not going anywhere." She was only relaxed for a few minutes, however, before she tensed up again and began mumbling. Amongst the jumble, she kept repeating something over and over again but it took me a second to realize what it was.

"Emma…Emma…" she groaned and gripped the pillow tight again.

"What about Emma, sweetheart?" I coaxed.

"Shadows…Emma…" this confused me. I looked around the room but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

"What about the shadows, Bella?"

"Don't let them get her. Protect Emma." She commanded with surprising strength even though her voice was hoarse.

"Emma is safe, darling."

"Something in the shadows. Protect Emma." She repeated. A tear escaped the corner of her eye, tracing a path down across her cheek and I knew I had to do something to reassure her, so I texted Rose.

_Can you bring Emma in here?_

I heard her footsteps in the hall, and the door opened.

"What's wrong?" she whispered loudly.

"She's worried about Emma and won't relax. Can you bring her over here?" Rose handed over the now sleeping baby (thank goodness) and I moved to sit against the headboard of the bed, next to Bella.

"Here, Bella. I have Emma right here, safe with me." I took her hand gently off the pillow and laid it across Emma's stomach. She was instantly calm and we stayed like that for several minutes before I eventually drifted off too. The next thing I knew, there was a fevered hand on my cheek.

"Edward?" Bella was smiling up at me when I opened my eyes. I shifted only to realize her other arm was across my stomach, underneath mine that was supporting Emma, who was still asleep.

"Hey sweetheart." My voice was gravelly with sleep and I cleared my throat. "Feeling better?"

"I think so…but what exactly are you doing here? Not that I'm complaining." She rushed on as her face turned even pinker with her blush. "I was just wondering." I smiled down at here and adjusted Emma in my arms to a more comfortable position.

"Rose was worried. You were mumbling and tossing in your sleep. Something about Emma and shadows." She tensed at that. "Bella what's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just…Oh never mind, it's stupid."

"Bella, look at me." she did after a moment. "What's bothering you love?" she tried to pass it off, but I knew something was wrong.

"Bella, tell me what's wrong."

"It's just that, sometimes when I'm up here in Emma's room, near the window, it feels like someone is watching me, and one night I thought I saw something moving outside. I don't know. Maybe I'm just going crazy."

"Bella, you're not going crazy. You had the same feeling outside the coffee house that day. Remember?" she nodded but still seemed unsure of herself. "Bella. You are safe here. Emmett is here most of the time and I am just a phone call away."

"I know. I just. I feel so helpless. I mean, what if something happened. What if it was just me and Emma and someone broke in. what am I going to do, throw a frying pan at them and hope for the best? I'm not safe." Where this insecurity was coming from, I had no idea, but when I saw her face, and how vulnerable she looked at that moment, an idea popped into my head. A grin slowly crossed my face the more I thought about it. This could be fun.

"What is that look for?" she questioned.

"Do you trust me?"

"Well, yeah. But why are you asking me that?"

"Just checking." I smiled as I kissed her. "You get some more rest and we'll talk about it later."

**BPOV**

"You're not serious?" I asked disbelieving but one look at his face, and I knew. "You're serious."

It had only been a few days since I had woke up feverish and groggy to my arms around a sleeping Edward and Emma. I had no idea how we had ended up this way, but I took a moment to take in the sight in front of me.

Edward relaxed against the headboard, holding a sleeping and very comfortable Emma. His hand was resting on her stomach and her much smaller hands were curled around his thumb and pinky. A vision passed through my head, of Edward in a different room, different bed and holding a different baby with a heedful of shocking coppery curls and I smiled.

I put my hand on his cheek and called his name to wake him. Wow, I sounded even worse than I thought. His eyes popped open and he smiled back at me before asking me how I was feeling. I responded, blushing at my thoughts from earlier before and then any and all thoughts went out of my head when he started talking about Emma and the shadows.

For weeks, I had been having these feelings that something was watching me. Anytime I was near a window facing the front of the house and the street, and especially in Emma's room, the hairs on the back of my neck rose in warning, but of what I had no idea. As much as I didn't want to voice my issues, though, I couldn't deny Edward when he was looking at me that way so I told him everything. Even about when I saw something move in the trees across the street.

However, instead of telling me I was crazy and needed to lay off the horror movies (which I hate and never watch) he got this silly grin on his face and asked me if I trusted him. And now we are standing in his garage, in front of a punching bag.

"Come on Bella. I know you can do it." Edward's voice brought me back to the present.

"No no and hell no. Have you not seen how clumsy I am? I can't even walk across a flat surface without tripping on air and you want me to kick box? Are you out of your mind?" my voice went slightly shrill with panic and I backed away from the punching bag, straight into Edward's chest.

"Bella, I have complete confidence in you." He said in my ear so I turned around to face him.

"I am not going to f-fight, spar whatever. What if I hurt myself? What if I hurt you?" he thought that was funny.

"Bella, you're not going to hurt me. You're not going to be sparring with anyone. I just thought you might feel more secure if you knew a little self defense. Boy was I regretting telling him about my issues and insecurities. I tried to find a way to divert the subject away from me kickboxing while still looking at him like he had grown a second head.

"You do this every day?" he nodded.

"1 hour every morning after I wake and sometimes when I am frustrated or angry and need to vent I'll come out and wail on it for a bit. Where do you think I got these guns?" he said with a teasing grin flexing his biceps for emphasis. Ah, a distraction just what I needed. I laughed.

"You are as bad as Emmett, you know that? Besides," I commented offhand and closed the distance between us enough to squeeze his upper left arm. "These are more like bee bees or airsofts instead of actual guns. They're not that impressive. I think someone is a little delusional." I had started backing away as I said it and the minute his eyes narrowed at me I took off running towards the back porch of the house, hoping I had enough of a head start. I had just enough time to slam and lock the door before he hit it hard. I smiled smugly at him through the glass and saw revenge in his eyes.

"What exactly do you think you are doing, Miss Swan?" he asked but I pretended to ignore him, and then raced around the house locking all the doors and windows I could find. It wasn't raining, so I figured I would just let him stew for a couple of minutes before I unlocked the back door and then booked it to my car as fast as possible. You know what they say about the best laid plans, though.

I barely had time to gloat to myself because he was suddenly behind me, his height allowing him to put his arms over my shoulders and cross them in front of me, trapping my own arms.

"Now, Bella. What exactly were you thinking to accomplish with that little stunt?" my shoulders sagged in defeat. There was no way I was getting away now.

"I was hoping to distract you long enough to make it to my car. Obviously it didn't work."

"Now who is delusional? Did you honestly think you could outrun me, even with a head start? Silly Bella."

"Maybe I just like being chased." I replied. I had no idea where that came from. I'm usually not that bold, but it was fun to feel him pause in shock. I only wished I could see his face.

"Hmm." He said after a moment. "I'll have to keep that in mind. But you, little missy, have distracted me long enough. Back to business." He stated matter-of-factly, grabbing my hand and dragging me back towards the garage.

The next couple of hours were…informative. I didn't try to escape again and I think Edward was disappointed, but that was too bad for him. Surprisingly, especially to myself, I was having fun watching Edward battle it out with the punching bag. The more I watched, the more fascinated I became. Not just with the moves themselves, but with the way Edward handled himself with such control and precision. He had shed his shirt about 30 minutes in and let me tell you, it was more than a little distracting watching his muscles ripple and tense with each punch or kick. I think he did it on purpose. But even with that not so subtle attention divider, it was really cool.

With each move, he explained how it could be blocked, manipulated, or used in combination with most other things he had showed me. If I hadn't been wearing jeans and a suede jacket, I would have started right then and there. As it was, all I could really do was mimic stances, which made me look like an idiot when I couldn't do anything with them. But that was beside the point. I was hooked. On more than just the kickboxing.

"So, what do you think?" Edward asked as he toweled off the seat glistening on his skin. I grinned.

"When do we start?


	17. Chapter 16

_Sorry it took so long. I have been in the process of moving, and with that comes no internet access whatsoever. It's rather depressing. Anyways here it is finally. I know it's a little short for how long it took to get it up, but bear with me. It will get better. Promise._

I can't begin to describe how much of a slave driver Edward could be. I was sore in places I didn't even know I had. I could barely get out of bed much less lift my arms of function normally. Once I got the feeling back in my limbs, I was going to rip Edward a new one.

"Oh stop complaining." Rose huffed at me as I groaned my way to a hot bath. Screw the shower. There was now way I was going to be able to stand on slippery tile for 30 minutes and wash myself without dying of pain or falling over.

"One day. You try it for one day and see how you feel afterwards."

"I was in labor for 21 hours with a 9 and a half pound baby without an epidural or drugs of any kind, so don't try to talk to me about pain, girl. You did this to yourself." I would have argued, but she did have a point, and it would take to much energy. Energy I needed for the rest of the day since both Rose and Emmett would be gone. I honestly didn't know how I was going to make it.

I was thankful Emma wasn't walking yet. She was quick enough while crawling, but I usually caught her before she could do any real damage. That little blessing aside, the clock hadn't even struck 1:00 pm yet and I was ready to drop. I had just got Emma down for a nap and was settling in on the couch wrapped in a huge fleece blanket when a knock on the door sounded. Grudgingly I rose to see who it was and opened the door to a smiling Edward.

"Hey you. How are you feeling?" he asked. As if he didn't know. Oh how I wanted to hand feed him to the Loch Ness monster, the smug bastard.

"If I could move right now, I would smack you for having the nerve to show up here after what you did to me."

"I am sorry Bella. In hindsight, I probably should have started you off a little easier. But you did very well."

"Yeah? Tell that to my abused lungs and aching body." I said, going back to the sanctuary of the couch.

"I really am sorry, but don't sit down yet. You are going to need to change."

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Because I come bearing gifts." It was then that I noticed the bag in his hand. He reached in and pulled out a batch of home made brownies.

"You think brownies are enough for me to start forgiving you?"

"Not just any brownies. Double fudge chocolate chip with caramel drizzle and…" he reached in again, and pulled out a bottle of massage oil. "Tada! It's the least I could do."

"Now you are getting somewhere. Give me 5… no 10 minutes." I barely won the shot battle with the stairs and when I got to my room, opted for a pair of pajama shorts and my swim top. I made it back downstairs with time to spare and saw Edward had rearranged the living room some.

The coffee table was pushed against one wall and he had taken the fleece blanket and laid it out on the carpet with a pillow at one end. I flopped down non-so-gracefully on the blanket covered floor.

"Hop to it mister. You have some major making up to do. And if you make one comment about me not shaving, I will fillet you alive. Now give me a brownie and get started."

"Demanding aren't we?" he laughed.

"I think I've earned it. Don't make me ask you again." I had my head turned towards him and he not only provided the brownie, he hand fed it to me and then left the rest in arms reach. He scooted to the bottom of the blanket and lifted my foot, making me flinch.

"Um, that could be hazardous to your health. I don't do well with my feet being touched."

"Oh, I remember. I'll be careful, promise." He started on the arch of my foot, and once I got past the tickling feeling, I started to relax. He worked several minutes on each foot and then worked his way up my calves and thighs. At this point I was a limp noodle, it felt so good.

"How's that feel, love?" I barely managed an encouraging moan through my sudden slothfulness and he chuckled. Once he started on my back though, it started to hurt just the tiniest bit.

"You have to relax your muscles Bella, otherwise it is going to hurt more." Once I got past the slight pinch of my shoulders muscles being worked over, I went back to my semi unconscious state. I don't know when anything ever felt so good in all of my life. I've gotten massages before, mostly by professionals but nothing compared to Edwards skilled hands. I giggled a bit and twitched away when he started on my lower back and sides.

"Now Bella, if you can't hold still I might have to sit on you." he told me playfully, but try as I might, I couldn't help but wiggle away when his hands got near my ticklish sides. He chuckled at my antics, but after a few minutes, had to make good on his warning and straddled the back of my thighs, effectively cutting off any movement on my part. He worked his way back up to my neck and shoulders and I sighed in relaxed pleasure.

"Think you can roll over for me?" he asked and I groaned in response but complied. He started in on the front of my shoulders, and then made his way down my left arm to my hand. Now, I never thought of my palm as something to be massaged, but it was divine. Whoever said palms never get sore and hand massages don't work is a big fat liar. I was so relaxed, I almost forgot about the brownies. Almost. I tried to reach for another one, but I couldn't bring my arm to move the short distance to the plate.

"Want something, Bella?" Mr. Magic hands asked. I motioned towards the plate with a twitch of my wrist and he laughed.

"And to think, you wanted to throw this smug bastard to Nessie." Crap, had I said that out loud? "Unfortunately, my hands are covered in massage oil, and otherwise occupied. You are going to have to fend for yourself." He teased.

"I can barely move, especially with you on top of me. And since I don't think you want me to actually follow through on my threat, I'm sure you will think of something to keep me content and get me my brownie." I retorted, trying to glare at him. I don't think it worked though because he just laughed.

"Sure thing, sweetheart. I've wanted one of these since they came out of the oven anyways." He continued to massage my hand but leaned over and snagged a brownie in his mouth. Biting it in half, he fed me one half and ate the other.

"Mm. These are fantastic. I knew there was a reason I love you." I told him sincerely and leaned up just enough to kiss him.

"You're distracting me." he said, nudging my nose with his, smiling.

"I know. And I case I didn't say it before; thank you. You really are the best." I grinned up at him and closed my eyes as he leaned in again for another kiss.

"What is going on here?" a voice stopped him short and we both froze. Oh, no, no _please_ no. It can't be. I knew who I would find when I opened my eyes, but I still blushed crimson when I saw my mom and dad standing in the entryway, bags at their feet. My dad had his arms crossed against his chest glaring directly at Edward in a way that made me surprised he didn't combust on top of me, and my mom was somehow fighting back both shock and a smile at the same time. Rose and Emmett walked in seconds later, and only froze for a moment after seeing us before doubling over in laughter, which woke Emma.

"I'll get her." Rose said, wiping tears from her eyes. She headed quickly upstairs, dragging a still laughing Emmett behind her. I shot them both a _thanks a lot, chickens_ look before turning back to the man in the doorway.

"Uh, hi daddy." Edward hadn't looked away from me yet, and at my greeting his eyes went wide with realization and fear. Some of the stories I had told him about my dad were probably flashing through his brain right about now.

"Isabella, would you care to explain who this is and why you are in a bathing suit, sprawled across the floor on a blanket." My first thought was "_We aren't sprawled"_ followed by "_Oh, crap. He is really pissed if he called me Isabella."_ Edward opened his mouth to say something, but I shook my head quickly. I needed to diffuse the situation quickly, and by the look on my dad's face, that wouldn't happen if Edward so much as blinked the wrong way.

"Help me up?" I whispered. He had that deer in the headlights about to get hit by a semi truck look but moved off me to pull me up as I groaned, picking up the blanket and wrapping it around my shoulders.

"I'm waiting Isabella." Dad's voice was calm; his expression however was anything but.

"Mom, dad. This is Edward. Edward, these are my parents Renee and Charlie." I made the awkward introduction and to his credit, Edward reached forward to shake my mother's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. Bella has told me so much about you."

"Funny, she's never mentioned you." my dad stated, and I glowered at him in anger at the lie. My mother smacked his arm.

"Oh Charlie, stop being such a mother hen. Edward, it is so nice to finally meet you. You are all she talks about." I blushed again as she grinned and winked at me. My dad just stood there as if he were made of stone.

"I should probably go. I have a shoot tomorrow and I have to clean my equipment." Edward suggested and I sighed in relief. Better to get him out of the battle zone.

"I'll walk you out." I said quickly and hurried him towards the door before my dad could say anything. We stood by the car for a second, before I met his eyes.

"I am so sorry. I had no idea they were coming."

"Bella, love its ok. You have nothing to apologize for."

"But it was so embarrassing." I ducked my head in shame, and he hugged me.

"Well, I think I can honestly say that is probably the worst first impression I have ever made on anyone. Ever." He said, chuckling. I poked him in the rib.

"How are you laughing at this?"

"You have to admit Bella, it is pretty funny. Imagine if you were hearing this story coming from another couple." I tried to picture it in my head, and smiled a little. He did have a point.

"See?" he said laughing.

"It's still embarrassing." I insisted, but without much heat. I was starting to see the humor of it all. I doubted my dad would, however.

"You should probably go and save yourself. Both of us don't need to face the Grim Reaper. At least I will most likely make it out alive." I said dramatically. He smiled and kissed my forehead.

"I'll call you later. I love you."

"Love you too." I replied and watched as he got into his car and drove off. I took a deep breath and turned back towards the house. From the look on my dads face earlier, this was going to be about as fun as swimming with scorpions.


	18. Chapter 17

"Isabella Marie Swan, what in heavens name has gotten into you?" my dad railed me as soon as I shut the front door.

Dad, it's not what you think." I said trying to explain, but he cut me off.

"Oh, really. Well then why don't you tell me what I'm not thinking, young lady."

"He was just giving me a massage." I told him, for some reason embarrassed at admitting such a thing to my dad, innocent though was.

"Funny, from what I heard, back massages are traditionally given to your back, not your front."

"It's not like that dad." I continued but he interrupted again in that too calm voice that meant he was past angry and well on his way to livid.

"Then why don't you tell me what it's like."

"I'm trying to if you will just shut up for a minute and stop interrupting me!" I shouted at him and was immediately ashamed. I can count on one hand all the times I have yelled at my dad and have always regretted it afterwards, and this time was no exception. It seemed to get his attention though, because he didn't correct me or yell back, just raised one brow

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell." I took a deep breath and looked at him and when he didn't say anything else, I went on. "Edward is teaching me self defense. We have been practicing everyday for the last week and it's really intense. You can even ask Rose. I could barely walk yesterday and was extremely irritated with Edward, and he wanted to make up for it by giving me a massage. Nothing happened." He sighed and shook his head, and I wasn't sure whether to take that as a good sign or not.

"Sweet heart, boys have… expectations when it comes to girls and relationships and sometimes things can happen that you regret later." He told me solemnly. I was glad he had calmed down a bit and wasn't calling me Isabella anymore, but I had to roll my eyes a little.

"Dad, we had the sex talk when I was 10 and trust me when I say that is something I'm not likely to forget as it scarred me for life. The whole birds and the bees metaphor is just creepy. Besides, you raised me better than that. And even if you hadn't, you wouldn't have to worry about Edward "taking advantage" of me. He is one of the most polite, respectful men I have ever met. He reminds me of you sometimes." After a moment he sighed another deep sigh and uncrossed his arms to give me a hug, which I gladly returned. I hated fighting with both my parents, but especially my dad.

"I just don't want you to get hurt, baby girl."

"I know daddy, but you can't protect me from everything. I have to learn some things for myself. And _you_ have to stop calling baby girl!" I teased him.

"Never. You'll always be my baby girl, no matter how old you are." He said with a grin before releasing me from his bear hug. My mom came from the kitchen just then wiping her hands on a towel.

"Are you done with your caveman act yet, or should I wait a few more minutes before trying to have an intelligent conversation with you?" she addressed my dad. It was a running joke that the men in our family must have been cavemen in the previous life or time traveled to the future because they had a tendency to be very territorial and throw-you-over-the-shoulder drag-you-to-the-cave protective.

"Good." she turned towards me once she was sure we weren't going to start yelling at each other again. "So when are we going to be properly introduced to that handsome young man of yours, Bella? He must be quite the gentleman for Bam-Bam (our caveman name for Emmett) over there to approve." I was kept from answering though as said caveman was just coming down the stairs with a still sleepy Emma in his arms. After that I was roundly ignored. My parents were finally getting to meet their granddaughter so as you can imagine all focus was off me. At least for the time being. You have to love babies that way. It doesn't matter what is going on in a room, the minute a baby enters, all attentions is on them.

It wasn't till after dinner that my mom started in with the 20 questions. Most of which she had already asked me in the past and probably forgot the answers to.

"And what does he do again?" I tuned back in to what my mom was saying.

"I've told you already. He's a photographer."

"What's his family like?"

"I've never met any of his family except Alice and I don't think she is the best point of reference for that question." I laughed, remembering his hyperactive sister and her antics.

"Is she his only sibling?"

"Yes. As far as I know. Unless on of his parents had an illicit affair when he was younger and has a long lost brother." I said sarcastically. My mom didn't appreciate my humor.

"There is no need to get snippy, I am just trying to learn about the man that has stole my baby girls heart." Ugh my parents and their nicknames. At least they don't call me Izzy anymore.

"He hasn't stolen my heart." I scoffed at them, but oh what a lie. He had me at 'are you ok, Miss?' "We are just getting to know each other is all."

"Don't try to pretend I didn't see what I did out that front window. You two are obviously smitten." I blushed at her observation, but didn't have the heart to be irritated with her spying on me. If I were in her shoes, I would probably do the same thing.

It was getting late by the time we all finished catching up and hearing the news from back home and I was exhausted. Since my parents coming was supposed to be a surprise, no one mentioned that I might have to bunk on the couch for the next few weeks since mine was the only spare room, but it wasn't so bad. Especially after the wonderful massage I received. I was definitely going to have to find some way to make it up to him for that, even if he refused to let me.

Edward came over the next day, and after them talking for quite a while, my dad seemed to genuinely like him. It probably also helped that Edward had barely walked through the door and shaken his hand before apologizing for the day before and assured him that he would never dream of taking advantage of me and was again sorry for putting me in such a compromising position. If I blushed anymore, I was going to spontaneously combust. He then proceeded to charm the pants off my mom and instead of shaking her hand, bent over it and kissed her knuckles, causing her to blush too. I didn't get it from just anywhere, and by the knowing smile on Edwards face when he glanced between us, the thought had crossed his mind as well.

He came over everyday that first week and talked with my parents for at least a half hour before we would go to his house to practice my kickboxing techniques, which I think gained him more brownie points. My mom was instantly smitten, and if I didn't know that she was happily married for close to 25 years I would think that she had a crush on him. She blushed whenever he paid her a compliment, and she giggled like a school girl whenever he smiled at her. It was kind of weird but I don't think him or my father picked up on it.

The training was much more fun now that we knew what I could and couldn't handle. According to Edward, I was progressing very well, but I didn't see it. I was having a great time learning all the different moves, and getting to spend time with Edward was definitely a bonus. My least favorite part by far though, was the sparring. Edward insisted after each "session" that we do a little sparring to get my reflexes up, and it totally sucked. Somehow I always managed to end up on the pinned on the ground. It didn't matter to me that Edward had years more experience to my few weeks, it was still humiliating to end up on your back on the concrete time and time again. I even tried some of the dislodging techniques he had showed me but nothing worked for me to get the upper hand.

Thank goodness I didn't have a repeat of the muscle soreness like the first week. As long as I drank lots of water and stretched properly, I was good. I did make sure to take a shower when I got home each day too. All Emmett had to do was make one comment about me suffocating everyone with my stench, and after that I made sure that it was the first thing I did.

Emma was growing like a weed and was looking more and more like her dad each day. You would have thought that a little girl that looked like Emmett would not be the cutest baby, but she was absolutely beautiful. Her golden hair was the only thing she got from her mom, besides her high pitched screams, everything else was Emmett. My parents were absolutely delighted with her and spoiled her left and right. Well, as much as you can spoil a 7 month old baby who doesn't eat solid foods yet.

On one of the days that both Rose and Emmett were at work and my parents and I were watching Emma, we realized that we had run out of baby formula so I decided to run to the store just down the street and pick some up. Thank goodness for designer labels, otherwise I would never find anything that I needed.

The store was actually more of a small corner market, but it was only about a 15 minute walk from the house and I knew they had what I needed so I didn't bother with the car. The day was overcast and gloomy but not overly cold, so I just grabbed a light jacket and a house key and headed out. I walked through the doors a few minutes later and meandered down the isles to see if anything caught my eye before I grabbed the formula and checked out. The front bells rang, signaling another customer and I glanced up automatically for a moment to see 2 guys walk in and head for the beer display. I looked down at my watch and realized it was later than I thought and Edward was going to be picking me up in less than an hour. I hurried with my purchase, and set off for home.

I was about 5 minutes from home, when I suddenly got the feeling that someone was watching me. I looked around and didn't see anyone but I still started to walk faster. Home was only a couple more blocks away. The wind had suddenly picked up, so I huddled into my jacket a little, mentally shaking myself.

"What do we have here?" I suddenly heard from behind me. I sped up my pace, not wanting to confront whoever it was, but in the end I didn't have much of a choice.

"Oh come on now, baby don't be like that. We just want to have some fun." Why did I recognize that voice? I kept walking, my head angled against the wind, until someone grabbed me and I was forced around and I finally realized why I recognized the voice. It was Mike. Slimy sleazy airplane Mike. And he wasn't alone. The 2 guys that had come in the store right after me were with him. Just peachy.

"Well, well. If it isn't the squealer." He acted surprised, though his tone and expression suggested otherwise and I knew that he knew it had been me all along.

"Let go of me, Mike." I struggled against the hand that held me, panic setting in slightly.

"So you remember me? Ya know, we could have had a lot of fun together if you had just come with me but you had to go and ruin it." he said and then laughed harshly. "Well, at least I can still have some fun." He started to pull me towards him and I gave up struggling in vain. A determination that I have never felt before, except for when I punched Victoria, shot through me and I brought the heel of me shoe down on his foot. Then as he yelped in pain and bent over slightly, I grabbed the back of his head and pulled it down to meet my knee. Hard. His friends just stood around, dumbfounded, as if they couldn't believe what was happening. I took advantage of the distraction and ran.

"Get her!" I heard Mike yell and then heard heavy footsteps behind me, gaining fast. I knew I could never outrun them and sure enough, a couple seconds later someone reached out and tried to grab my arm. But I wasn't going to let that happen.

I stopped and turned suddenly, planting my feet like Edward had taught me as I drove my fist into the guys surprised face as hard as I could. I felt something snap in my hand and I caught a glimpse of blood gushing from his nose as he staggered to the ground, but didn't have time to dwell on it as I turned back around and ran the rest of the way to the house. I didn't see idiot number 3 anywhere.

I made it to the front porch, keys in hand and burst through the front door, much to the surprise of my parents sitting in the next room. I closed and locked it as fast as I could and once I was sure I was safe, I slid down the door and burst into tears. My dad was there in an instant, pulling me into the protective grasp of his arms, but even that couldn't stop the shock from setting in. I started to get lightheaded from gasping for air between sobs, but I could feel myself slipping away, and suddenly there was only the darkness.


	19. Chapter 18

_I am going to stop making excuses for my updates being so long in between chapters. I hit a bit of a block and there has been a lot of stuff going on in my life but I've also just been lazy so I give you full permission to call me a horrible person and throw tomatoes at me. On that note, thank you to those of you that have actually continued reading and I will try to do better in the future. Don't quote me on that though lol._

Chapter 18

I came to with a cry of pain. My hand was on fire and I couldn't figure out why. I tried to open my eyes, but everything was blurry and swimming around me. I could hear voices but they were to far away to understand. I knew something was wrong with me but I couldn't make myself wake up fully. I remembered watching Emma with my mom and dad and running out of formula, and walking to the store, and then the rest of it came back to me like getting struck by lightning and I sat up with a horrified gasp of fear to see familiar faces swarming from all around me.

It was then I noticed I wasn't outside anymore, although the front door was wide open and apparently forgotten that way. My dad, Emmett and Edward were all crouched around me while Rose was standing behind them with her arms around my mom, who had tears streaming down her cheeks. There was an abandoned bouquet of white roses on the floor by the still open door. _I love white roses_ I thought randomly in my confusion.

"Bella, can you hear me? I need you to talk to me, baby girl." Everything was still a little blurry so I shook my head until my vision was relatively clear again.

"Hi daddy." I gave him a dazed smile and he sagged with relief.

"You gave us quite a scare there. Do you feel ok?"

"I'm fine, dad. Really."

"That's debatable." That came from Edward. I tried not to wince as he gently examined my hand, but I didn't quite succeed. "From the looks of this hand, you fractured a couple bones. Sweetheart, what happened?" I recounted what happened and Edward looked like he was about burst a vein when I told them who it was.

"I should have laid that jerk out when I had the chance. How the hell did he get out so soon?"

"They probably didn't have enough to hold him on. Their laws are a little different here." Emmett commented. He was the calmest of the three men, which definitely surprised me. And scared me. Dad didn't call him hothead for nothing, but when he got this quiet, you _really_ didn't want to know what was going on in his head. Emmett would have done great in the military. That's just how his brain worked.

Although I was thankful and touched that everyone was so worried about me, it was starting to get a little uncomfortable on the floor. I pushed myself up gingerly and winced when it jostled my hand.

"We definitely need to get you to a hospital and get that checked out." Edward suggested. There were several minutes of discussion as to who was going to take me and when it was suggested that everyone go, I got a bit exasperated.

"Is it normal to not feel your fingers when you break something?" I asked innocently. My fingers felt fine, of course, but it spurred everyone into action. Emmett got an icepack ready while it was decided that Edward would take me, since he actually knew where the hospital was. My dad offered to come along, but mom thankfully vetoed that. The last thing I needed was my dad trying to baby me in the emergency room. In a matter of minutes I was ensconced in Edward's car and we were off to see the Wizard. I sighed as I closed my eyes and rested my head on the back of the seat.

"You doing ok over there?" I could feel his gaze on me for a moment before he turned back to the road. I opened my eyes enough to reach over and grasp his hand on the gear shift.

"That was smooth by the way, the little stunt about not feeling your hand." He said, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles.

"How did you know?"

"Usually when you lose feeling it means you pinched a nerve, and that isn't too common in hand injuries. Besides, I could read it on your face. You were getting frustrated." Any other time I probably would have blushed at being so obvious, but I just didn't have it in me right then. Suddenly I was exhausted. Once we got to the hospital it didn't take long at all before I was admitted. Turned out, Edward was right. My middle and ring finger were both broken and I was there for several hours while they did x-rays set the bones and got me in a cast. It wasn't late once we were done and headed home, but I fell asleep in the car and wasn't aware of anything until Edward opened my door and gently shook me awake.

"Hey, you conked out on me. We're home." I trudged up the walkway to the house not looking forward to having to deal with my family again and was thankful when Edward ushered me past the living room and straight up to my bedroom. The pain killers they gave me at the hospital must have been doing there job quite well because I barely remembered him pulling back the covers to tuck me in, and there was the briefest pressure on my forehead before I fell back asleep.

The next several days were, in a word, excruciating. Not necessarily physically, but in any other way possible. Everyone seemed to think that I was suddenly an invalid and waited on me hand and foot. They wouldn't even let me get my own water glass. Once the prescription meds the doctor gave me had worn off, I made sure they all knew how I felt about being coddled so, but it didn't change anything. The only person that didn't treat me like I had suddenly lost my entire arm, was of course Edward. Of all the people coming and going in the house, he seemed to be the one to understand the most how much I hated it all and tried to get me out of the house as much as possible, which wasn't as often as I would have liked because he was busy doing his photographer thing with the clients.

A little over a week later, I had finally managed to get some piece and quiet and was being lazy watching movies and stuffing myself with ice cream. Rose and Emmett both had to work and I convinced my parents to take Emma for a walk, since they would be leaving next week to spend a few days in Scotland before flying back home. I had just settled in to watch 13 Going on 30, when Edward burst through the front door like a mad man.

He wasn't supposed to be done until at least 5 and it was barely 2, so needless to say I was surprised. And almost scared, because one look at his face and I knew something had to be wrong. I had never seen him look this intense about something. I smiled and waved him in to sit next to me, and the creases in his forehead lessened slightly. He came over and sat down next to me, resting his arm along the back of the couch.

"Hey sweetheart." He said, placing a soft kiss in my hair before claiming my mouth for a moment. I grinned.

"Hey yourself, stranger." I replied, snuggling into his side and studying his face. He still looked worried about something.

"How was your day?"

"I think I should be asking you that question, with the way you almost He-Manned the front door off its hinges a minute ago. What's going on?" I asked and with the way he hesitated, I knew it was something important.

"Something happened today that could actually be a really cool opportunity, but I don't know exactly how to say it, or how you will handle it."

"Ok." I replied after a moment. I hoped it wasn't anything bad. I knew that he had been talking with his bosses recently and I really hoped they hadn't decided to bring him back. Or worse, transfer him somewhere else. He sat there for a moment, just looking at me, and if the silence had gone on any longer, I might not have been able to handle it. Finally he spoke up.

"Remember how you told me how you wanted to be a model before you met Rose?"

"Yes," I said, definitely confused. "But what does that have to do with what's bothering you?"

"See, here's the thing. You know I had a meeting with Andreas a couple weeks ago and again today to go over the photos from several of the shoots we did for his company."

"Yes. You told me the other day about the meeting. What's this about?" I asked, and then gasped as a thought came to me. "Oh my gosh, Edward, please tell me you didn't get fired because I was on set that day." He chuckled at my horrified tone.

"No, love. It's nothing like that. It's just; I might have accidentally included the pictures of you we took that day on the disc I gave them." He said sheepishly and I felt myself pale as he continued. "Anyways, he really like what he saw, because he asked me if you would be willing to model for his new fall clothing line." I stared at him for several seconds before what he said actually processed.

"What?"

_Ok, so probably not exactly what you were expecting, but let me know what you think anyways. And since I have been such a horrible person and neglected ya'll, I am going to give you some Rec's to fill your time if it happens again. They are rated M though. Just a forewarning._

_**Silver Strand Nights – GreenEyedGirl17**_

Bella Swan is tired of her boring life and ready for a change. When former Navy SEAL Edward Cullen enters her life, everything will change, more than she ever expected. AH - B/E. Rated M.

_**Parachute – KitsuShel**_

After finding a child abandoned on the streets of Seattle, Bella Swan raises him as her own. What happens to their lives when his biological family is finally found?

_**Tangled Up In Blue - TxBirdie**_

Edward Cullen is looking for inspiration to write THE American novel. Bella Swan is looking for inspiration, any inspiration, to pull her from her doldrums existence. But what they find in each other, neither of them could have expected.


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